As the new academic year commences, the Teachers Committee of the General Trade Union of Workers in Private Education has discovered concerning practices by private schools targeting female teachers.

Among these revelations is the requirement for female teachers to provide a pregnancy test as part of their employment documentation.

The committee has reported multiple infringements against female educators in private schools, encompassing issues related to wages, work environments and employment terms.

The committee's head Louay Al-Ramahi said that such actions blatantly disregard human principles and legal regulations set forth to safeguard the rights of women in the workforce.

Ramahi further remarked that these violations persist, particularly at the outset of each academic year.

He lauded the Ministry of Labor's comprehensive media campaign, which disseminated extensive awareness messages about special education teachers' rights, the provisions of unified contracts, in addition to inspection tours and handling complaints received from the union and teachers alike.

He highlighted instances where private schools assigned female teachers tasks beyond their scope of responsibility, tasks not stipulated in the unified contract that governs their employment relationship. These included duties like distributing books and uniforms, overseeing the school canteen, chaperoning student transportation, and others.

Furthermore, some schools imposed pressures on female teachers to exceed the maximum class load. Non-payment of summer vacation salaries, incomplete monthly salary disbursement (July and August), incomplete social security contributions, and non-compliance with minimum wage regulations were also observed. Additionally, education allowance (JD 10) disbursements were neglected.

Ramahi urged female teachers not to acquiesce to practices violating both the law and the terms of the unified contract. He emphasized the importance of rejecting such practices and advised registering formal complaints via the Ministry of Labor's "Hemaya" platform.

The statement reiterated the commitment of the Workers’ Center for Legal Awareness “Waa’i” under the General Federation of Jordan Trade Unions.

This center remains dedicated to providing legal counsel, awareness campaigns, and guidance concerning labor rights and issues affecting workers in private education.

Individuals can access assistance through the hotline (0770442244).

The center underscores the significance of understanding rights and their role in confronting the unlawful practices that female educators encounter.

-Labor Ministry provides a comment- 

In response, the ministry stressed it is prohibited to terminate a teacher’s employment in a private school or kindergarten due to pregnancy.

The ministry's media spokesman urged female teachers who are subjected to these practices in their schools to submit "confidential" complaints through the electronic platform "Hemaya".

He noted that the ministry had asked the committee to provide it with the names of schools that violated the instructions.