Labor Watch - Director General of Social Security Corporation, Nadia Al-Rawabdeh was quoted as saying that that social security evasion in the sector of restaurants and confectionery was estimated at 75%.
Mrs. Al-Rawabdeh added that the number of restaurants of various classifications was estimated at about 20 thousands restaurants. The number of workers in this sector stands between 110 -130 thousands workers; while 7 thousand restaurants only are registered at the Corporation, and the number of registered workers through these restaurants reaches 30 thousands, Jordanians constitute 57% of them. She pointed out that absence of orderly records on the part of many employers in this sector, and the spread of non licensed enterprises was one of the reasons of such evasion from registering workers in the social security systems.
Mrs. Al-Rawabdeh affirmed that ratio of work-related injuries in the sector is rather high as it reached in 2013 a number of 71 injuries for each thousand workers, pointing out that the overall ratio of such injuries for all sectors reached 12 injuries for each thousand workers.
Talking in a brainstorming session organized by the Social Security Corporation and run by the Director of the Media Center, Official Spokesman of the Corporation Mr. Mosa Al-Sbaihi to which all concerned parties were invited to discuss the phenomenon of evasion by many employers in the sector of restaurants and confectionery from including their workers under the umbrella of social security, Mr. Al-Rawabdeh added that it is no longer acceptable to keep any worker in the Kingdom outside the umbrella of social security; adding that the Corporation gives top priority to the inclusion of all workers in the Kingdom in the social security system in order to achieve justice and equality among all workers both in the public and private sectors, and to ensure the necessary protection for citizens and workers, thus, empowering them socially and economically.
She pointed out that many of workers in this sector, particularly, in the small restaurants were paid low wages ranging around the minimum wage rate of JOD 190 or less, while some of them suffered from poor working conditions and indecent work environment in contrary to valid regulations risking their safety. Furthermore, she clarified that the average wage of workers at restaurants employing less than 20 workers reached JOD 230, while the average wage of workers at restaurants which employ more than 20 workers reached JOD 320.