Amman, Sep. 30 (Petra) – The General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) on Tuesday signed an agreement to implement a six-month project titled "The Power of Trade Unions for a More Inclusive and Gender-Equal World of Work." The project seeks to enhance women’s participation in unions and ensure the integration of equality and non-discrimination issues into national policies.
According to a GFJTU statement, the agreement was signed by GFJTU President Khaled Fanatseh and ILO Country Coordinator in Jordan Amal Mowafi, in the presence of Reem Aslan, Director of the Decent Work for Women Program, project team members, and GFJTU representatives.
Fanatseh said the project reflects the outcome of an extended partnership with the ILO, founded on shared objectives of developing labor legislation, expanding social protection, and advancing decent work standards. He underlined the project’s alignment with the GFJTU’s strategic plan to increase women’s access to union leadership positions and strengthen their role in union work.
Mowafi underscored the importance of the partnership at this stage, describing it as a reflection of the joint commitment to support workers and foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment. She highlighted the Federation’s expertise and its capacity to reach vulnerable groups, including women, migrant and refugee workers, and persons with disabilities.
She voiced hope that the project would raise awareness of rights, strengthen women’s participation in unions, and reinforce the integration of equality and non-discrimination in social dialogue and national policies.
For her part, Aslan detailed that the project entails social dialogue sessions with the three production parties, government, employers, and workers, alongside other partners, on issues including the care economy, combating violence and harassment in the workplace, women’s empowerment in leadership positions, and advancing the green economy and just transition.
She noted that these sessions will yield policy papers with recommendations on policies and legislation, to be discussed at a national conference on international labor standards. Legal awareness sessions will also be held for female workers across various economic sectors, while monitoring of the unified electronic contract platform in private education will be carried out.
The collaboration is part of the "Equality at Work" project, funded by the Government of the Kingdom of Norway and implemented through the ILO’s Decent Work for Women program.
//Petra// AJ
