"Labour rights are human rights for all workers"

Last month, nine Syrian and Jordanian agriculture workers were killed and 21 others were injured when the pick-up truck they were riding on, provided by the farmer who employed them, was involved in a fatal accident.

The workers who died included five Syrian women and three Syrian men, all of whom were residents of the Zaatari refugee camp working outside the camp to support their daily needs.

The tragedy illustrates the devastating consequences of hazardous working conditions...

While flexible permits offer some form of formality to the work in sectors where seasonality and short-term employment is common, this flexibility fails to provide full protection for workers and undermines employer responsibility. The absence of instructions and adequate monitoring and enforcement mechanisms undermine the application of the bylaw. The result is an ambiguous employment situation for vulnerable workers in the agriculture sector governed by vague articles.

The fact that the workers who lost their lives were travelling in the back of a pick-up truck provided by a farmer they were working for brings to the fore the question of employer responsibility. According to Article 2 of the Jordanian Labour Law, any accident that occurs to the employee while on his/her way to, or return from, work is considered as a work-related injury; hence there is liability on the employer even if there was only a verbal contract....

According to Article 2 of the Jordanian Labour Law, any accident that occurs to the employee while on his/her way to, or return from, work is considered as a work-related injury; hence there is liability on the employer even if there was only a verbal contract....

The conditions that are provided to workers in Jordan, including Jordanian and Syrian agriculture workers should be in line with the international human rights instruments that Jordan is bound by, including ILO instruments...

The death of the nine workers was preventable. The labour law contains articles that protect against such incidents. The fact that there was no compliance serves as a call to action to strengthen the application of international standards. Decent work means that refugees and host community members alike live their lives with dignity and strengthen their resilience and self-reliance, regardless of sector of work or employment relationship. This should be a prospect accessible to all workers in Jordan.