The garment industry in Jordan is primarily driven by large exporting factories who export to the US under the USJFTA. The garment industry has seen significant growth in the last ten years. Exports dropped by 15 per cent in 2020 but rebounded in 2021 with 8 per cent growth, followed by 22 per cent growth in 2022. In total, USD 2.2 billion worth of garments were exported in 2022, the highest export value for the sector to-date. Around 77,800 workers were employed in the exporting garment sector in 2022. Migrant workers make up three-quarters of the workforce. These workers, primarily from South Asia, typically work in Jordan for a contract of two to three years, which can be extended. Bangladeshis are the largest group of workers (over 50 per cent of migrant workers), and there are also workers from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Myanmar. The majority of workers are women – nearly 75 per cent of the production work force – whereas the majority of management positions are held by men.
The Better Work Programme is a partnership between the International Labour Organization and the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group. Better Work brings diverse groups together – governments, global brands, factory owners, and unions and workers – to improve working conditions in the garment industry and make the sector more competitive. The Better Work Jordan programme (BWJ) was established at the request of the Jordanian Ministry of Labour in 2007 and began operations in mid-2008. Over the past 15 years, BWJ has been working with the national tripartite constituents to improve working conditions and promote decent work in the garment sector in Jordan. The mandatory status of the programme for those exporting to the US market allowed the programme to create sector-wide impact. Since then, factories have made significant improvements in terms of working conditions and compliance with labour standards – while challenges remain to sustain the programme impact. Under the current strategic phase, BWJ is directing its effort towards sustaining this 15-year impact through enhancing the capacity of national stakeholders (Ministry of Labour, Trade Unions, and Employers Organizations) and empowering them to take more responsibility for ensuring a decent working environment and sustainable growth.
In 2023, workers in one of the main exporting factory in the sector faced several challenges including unpaid wages, delayed managerial salaries, and hazardous working conditions. Despite stakeholders’ efforts, the factory’s closure resulted in prolonged housing for workers without adequate food or living conditions. Eventually, all migrant workers, as locals represented 25% from the workforce were repatriated with the cooperation of relevant parties. Therefore, following the fifty-second Programme Advisory Committee (PACs) meeting for the Better Work Jordan project on 4/3/2024, it was decided to establish a tripartite committee involving employers, trade unions, and the Ministry of Labour in order to analyse this and similar situations involving labour violations.
The newly established tripartite committee will focus its analysis on factories affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and those experiencing financial strain while mistreating their workers. During the pandemic two main exporting factories shut down, after the workers faced several challenges. Besides, multiple examples from subcontracting factories which also shut down over the previous 5 years.The committee’s objective is to derive lessons from and recommendations to prevent similar issues and ensure decent working conditions within the sector.
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