“Trade unions federation issues freelance work permits to Syrians”, 5 August 2017

The General Federation of Jordan Trade Unions (GFJTU) has issued freelance work permits to Syrian migrant workers and refugees…The agreement was approved by the GFJTU, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Ministry of Labour, said Mazen Maaitah, president of the GFJTU.

The decision came as a way to create job opportunities for Jordanians by preventing non-Jordanians, including migrant workers and Syrian refugees, from working in certain fields and competing with local workers, the president noted…[T]his decision highlighted the need for organising the work of refugees in Jordan by facilitating their access to professions that suffer from a decline in demand by the Jordanians, especially the construction and agriculture sectors. He said that, although Jordanian workers often refrain from working in those fields, Jordan is in need of manpower in these sectors to maintain the sustainability and implementation of development projects. The federation president stated that…there will be coordination between the ILO and the ministry to include other labour sectors in order to facilitate the Syrians' access to work permits and to regulate their entrance into the labour market…

The Coordinator of the Syrian Refugee Response Project at the ILO [said] this step will help end the "exploitation of Syrian workers" by employers...offering them less unfair wages...