The decision to raise the minimum wage to 290 dinars is unfair and illegal.

The Workers' House believes that the decision issued by the Tripartite Committee for Labor Affairs, which stipulated raising the minimum wage from 260 dinars to 290 dinars, is an unfair decision for workers, as it did not adopt the rules required by the Labor Law in determining the minimum wage, and ignored the legal basis stipulated in Article 52 of the law, which requires adopting cost of living indicators as a basis for determining the minimum wage and not inflation rates.

The tripartite committee's decision was based mainly on the cumulative inflation rates for the years from 2021 until the beginning of 2025, which amount to about 10.4%, which led to an increase in the minimum wage by only 30 dinars. However, this approach overlooks the fact that inflation reflects the average change in prices across a wide range of goods and services, including luxuries and non-essentials, while basic living costs are rising at a faster and higher pace. For example, the monthly cost of living for just one person, excluding rent, reaches about 350 dinars, while the cost of rent ranges between 200 and 300 dinars, which means that the new minimum wage does not even come close to covering basic living needs.

It is well known that the minimum wage is a social protection tool aimed at ensuring a decent life for workers, especially the most vulnerable groups. However, the tripartite committee dealt with the minimum wage as if it were the result of negotiations between parties with differing interests, which is contrary to the basic principles of the minimum wage determination process, which relies on objective indicators such as the actual cost of living, and not on negotiations or bargaining that naturally tend to favor the stronger and more influential party, namely the employers.

Furthermore, this decision is inconsistent with international experiences that indicate the need for the minimum wage to range between 50% and 60% of the average wage in the country. In Jordan, the average monthly wage is about 627 dinars, which means that the fair minimum should range between 313 and 376 dinars. The current decision is far from achieving this balance and does not take into account the poverty line, which is estimated for a family of 4.8 people at about 480 dinars according to official data, and about 800 dinars according to World Bank estimates.

In addition, raising the minimum wage to 300 dinars, as demanded by the General Federation of Trade Unions, does not constitute a real burden on the national economy. Studies indicate that increasing the minimum wage to this level will only increase production costs by 1.5%, a small percentage that companies can easily absorb without affecting their profits or competitiveness. On the contrary, improving wages will reduce the rate of job turnover, which will lower employment costs, enhance workforce stability, and support the economy by increasing domestic demand and stimulating household spending, especially on local products.

The Workers' House affirms that this decision, because it violates the provisions of the Labor Law and did not adopt cost of living indicators as a basis, will be subject to legal challenge from any party affected by it, namely the workers in the first place. It calls on the concerned authorities to review the decision and correct it in a manner consistent with the law, achieve social justice, and enhance the stability of the national economy.
The Jordanian Center for Labor Rights "Workers' House"