US embassy cable - 02AMMAN3761

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 003761 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LABOR FOR EVERETT MURTAGH 
STATE PASS USTR FOR NED SAUMS 
STATE PASS USAID FOR MSCOVILL 
COMMERCE FOR PTHANOS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, ETRD 
SUBJECT: LABOR TRENDS IN QUALIFYING INDUSTRIAL ZONES 
 
REF: 01 AMMAN 5728 
 
1.  SUMMARY.  Labor conditions at the qualifying industrial 
zones (QIZs) are satisfactory and tending toward improvement. 
 The QIZs continue to grow, resulting in increased demand for 
labor, and the demand for trained domestic labor is pressing. 
 Foreign source labor, especially within the textile sector, 
remains relatively high at about 30% of the QIZ workforce. 
Improving domestic productivity and cost advantages of 
domestic labor, if coupled with badly needed vocational 
training, may eventually push down the demand for foreign 
laborers.  END SUMMARY 
 
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VISITS TO QIZS REVEAL IMPRESSIVE GROWTH AND PRODUCTION 
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2.  On June 30, the Ambassador and emboffs visited the Al 
Tajammouat QIZ, which is located approximately 30 minutes 
south of Amman.  The Ambassador toured three QIZ factories, 
escorted by Park Manager Halim Safiti.  According to Safiti, 
there are 20 QIZ-inspired factories in Al Tajammouat, of 
which 17 are currently operational.  These factories employ 
7,000 laborers, and Salfiti expects that number to reach 
10,000 by the end of 2002.  70% of the work force is 
domestic, over 95% are women, and most come from East Amman, 
Zarqa and Madaba.  The tour of the factories was impressive; 
rows upon rows of Jordanian women, mostly dressed in 
conservative/traditional attire, working with sewing machines 
and other textile equipment.  Labor conditions at these 
plants are good.  Workspaces are clean and well lit, exits 
are clearly marked and workers seemed to be in good spirits. 
In one factory, the temperature was a bit high, and Safiti 
took the Ambassador's suggestion that the plant look into 
more effective cooling equipment.  According to Safiti, 
salaries of the workers at some of these plants are 20% above 
minimum wage (which is currently 80 JD per month), with 
incentive programs for superior quality/quantity production. 
(Note:  There has been some concern expressed by embassy 
contacts to COMMOFF regarding workers at this QIZ being paid 
at less than minimum wage). 
 
3.  On July 7, poloff met with Fathallah Omrani, President of 
the Union of Workers in Textile Garment and Clothing 
Industries, at the Al Husn QIZ, located near the city of 
Irbid.  (Note:  Omrani is a long-time contact of the embassy 
and will be traveling to Washington July 12 for consultations 
with the ILO, labor NGOs and USG officials).  Omrani escorted 
poloff through two factories - owned by Tefron and Century 
Wear.  Both of these factories operate exclusively with 
Jordanian labor, and are under contract with Victoria's 
Secret, Gap, and Calvin Klein.  The factories employ 300 and 
 
SIPDIS 
2100 workers, respectively.  Century Wear plant manager Jamil 
Karka explained that there is such a surplus of (untrained) 
labor in the Irbid area that he could "hire 500 workers 
tomorrow if he had the extra capacity to do so". 
 
4.  The floors of the Al-Husn factories are air conditioned 
(while the managerial offices were not), and were at full 
capacity.  They are well lit, clean, and workers have access 
to fresh water and clean bathrooms.  Exits are clearly 
marked.  Salaries at these factories were at minimum wage (80 
JD), with incentive programs that push the average monthly 
wage to over 100 JD per month.  Karka was proud to say that 
his factory has one of the best reputations for labor 
conditions in Jordan, and Omrani confirmed this.  Century 
Wear's factory employs higher labor standards, not only 
because of the self-asserted magnanimous nature of Karka, but 
because US companies expect enhanced labor standards.  Omrani 
commented that US companies are most vigilant regarding the 
issue of labor conditions at the QIZ factories and as a 
result, laborers at these factories enjoy better conditions. 
 
 
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UNION BOSS SETS UP HEALTH CLINIC 
-------------------------------- 
 
5.  Following the tour of the factories, Omrani escorted 
poloff to a recently opened health clinic that serves workers 
of the QIZs in Al-Husn  The health clinic was funded with a 
USD 92000 grant from the Government of Japan.  The clinic 
employs 7 doctors (one of whom is a dentist) and provides 
basic check-ups and examinations to workers and their 
families.  All workers, regardless of union membership, may 
receive free treatment at the clinic, and family of union 
members will also be able to receive free treatment soon. 
Omrani has arranged for 9 of the QIZ textile companies at 
Al-Husn to contribute 1 JD per month per worker to the clinic 
in order to allow it to sustain operations.  In its first six 
months, the clinic provided treatment to nearly 5000 workers, 
and has operated with a small surplus.  Omrani hopes to 
secure funding for a similar clinic at the QIZ near Zarqa 
soon. 
 
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EFFECTIVE VOCATIONAL TRAINING NEEDED DESPERATELY 
------------------------------------ 
 
6.  Poloff met on June 13 with Abdel Abdel Jaber, Assistant 
Director General for Technical Affairs at the GOJ's 
Vocational Training Corporation.  Abdel Jaber is directing a 
program through which 12000 Jordanians will receive 
vocational training subsequent to a three month tour in the 
Jordanian Army.  Abdel Jaber said that his program had 
attracted over 40000 applicants, and that the VTC has, in the 
past, placed over 80% of trainees in jobs, including 
approximately 60% in jobs related to their vocational 
training.  There are 30 vocational training subjects in which 
trainees may study, and there are plans afoot to open centers 
throughout Jordan. 
 
7.  Although the GOJ has recognized the pressing need for 
expanded vocational training, both labor leaders and plant 
managers criticized the VTC as a clunky and ineffective 
bureaucratic mechanism.  According to managers at Al 
Tajammouat, the VTC "misses the mark" by training workers in 
fields for which there is no demand.  Omrani commented that 
while the VTC places laborers into employment, these workers 
generally do not last, largely because the VTC provides 
outdated or poor training.  Companies often train their own 
work force; at Tefron one of fourteen production lines is 
dedicated to trainees.  The trainees spend an average of two 
months on the training line before joining the work force. 
Results have been good, but the demand for trained labor at 
the QIZs far exceeds the currently available supply.  This is 
why, Omrani explains, companies look eastward to China and 
Sri Lanka for trained workers. 
 
8.  USAID, in collaboration with the GOJ, will provide 
vocational training to 1000 Jordanians in Irbid via the 
Jordan U.S. Business Partnership Program.  The plan is to 
have highly skilled Sri Lankan garmenteers give intensive 
training to Jordanians in groups of 15-20 at a time over the 
course of a year.  The cost of this program will not exceed 
USD 300,000, based on a one year estimate.  The goal is to 
increase the supply of trained Jordanian garmenteers to help 
meet QIZ demand.  Depending on the effectiveness of this 
initiative, USAID may continue with vocational training 
endeavors. 
 
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CULTURAL FACTORS 
---------------- 
 
9. Aside from the lack of trained workers, Jordanian cultural 
norms also hamper productivity.  Even Omrani concedes that 
Jordanian workers, "will not work as hard as the Chinese". 
Additionally, Jordanians, and in particular women, have heavy 
familial responsibilities.  Nearly all Jordanian female 
textile laborers leave employment after marriage; this 
curtails the average working career for such laborers to less 
than four years, according to Karka.  In the face of 
experienced labor imported from countries such as China on 
two year contracts, Jordanians are generally less productive. 
 Omrani commented that on top of everything else, many QIZ 
companies do not enforce maximum workday laws on imported 
labor, and the GOJ is, according to him, averse to 
challenging such companies, whose investors may already be 
tepid toward further investment in Jordan. 
 
10.  Plant manager Karka was optimistic about shifting 
Jordanian cultural views toward female labor.  There is a 
growing number (currently about 10% of Century's workforce) 
of married female laborers, and Karka was proud to report 
that the women at his factory were happy and enjoyed 
workplace camaraderie.  The jobs give them their own income, 
their own identity, and their own sense of worth, he said. 
The prediction that Jordanian women would not or could not 
produce quality textile goods has been proven false, Karka 
concluded. 
 
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COMMENT 
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11.  In light of satisfactory labor conditions, greatly 
increasing production, and growing acceptance by Jordanian 
society, the QIZs will benefit most from efforts to augment 
vocational training.  As reported in reftel, the biggest 
sticking point in continued development of the QIZs is a lack 
of trained Jordanian labor.  Given the current political 
climate and the recent economic slump, the fact that 
thousands of traditionally clad Jordanian women, working in 
western-style factories (built partially through Israeli 
capital investment), producing goods for export to the US is 
a major success story. 
 
Gnehm