Jordanian government threatens to nullify union

Jordanian government threatens to nullify union election

Brussels, 7 September 2004 (ICFTU Online): Undue interference in trade union affairs was the charge levelled today by the international trade union movement against the Jordanian government.

Participants at the ICFTU's Coordinating Committee for the Middle East (*) meeting roundly condemned the Jordanian authorities for threatening to invalidate the results of a recent election (14-15 August 2004) held by the country's national trade union centre, the GFJTU (General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions). Following the GFJTU elections, the government threatened to nullify the results on the illegitimate grounds that the union body should have first consulted the authorities about the organisation of its upcoming congress.

This episode of interference is another episode in a series of intrusions by the Jordanian government into union affairs. In its correspondence to the Jordanian Prime Minister, the ICFTU, joined by the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU), underlined that such action constitutes a breach of the principles of the freedom of association.

Reminding the Jordanian government of its obligation to respect these principles as a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the ICFTU called upon the authorities to refrain from unjustified intrusion into union affairs.

(*) For the Committee's statement, please click here: http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991220514

The ICFTU represents 148 million workers in 234 affiliated organisations in 152 countries and territories. The ICFTU is also a member of Global Unions: http://www.global-unions.org

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