Letter to the Jordanian labour force on the occasion of Labour Day

In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate,

Your Excellency Brother Mazen Maaitah, president of the General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions,

May God protect you,
Peace, God’s mercy and His blessings upon you,

It is my pleasure to convey to you and to every worker, man and woman, in our nation my appreciation for and pride in your distinguished efforts and achievements in enhancing development and productivity, and for your contributions in building Jordan first, now and in the future.

As we warmly congratulate every worker on Labour Day, we reaffirm that we are constantly keen to continue every possible effort to provide employment for all Jordanians and to help youth utilise these opportunities to improve their living conditions, prepare a climate that enables them to realise their ambitions, and face this century's challenges.

Training and education for workers are necessary goals that should be realised to ensure developmental success. In this context, we look forward to the contribution of the Worker's Education Institute to promoting the Jordanian worker's efficiency and competitiveness, the standard of his knowledge of his rights and duties and his refusal of the culture of shame. This is especially important since Jordan has become a centre that attracts Arab and foreign investment that provide employment opportunities demanding qualified, trained Jordanian workers, who uphold their duties with precision and professionalism.

Since we have always sought to empower workers to play an influential role in building Jordan, we aspire to provide them with a social safety net and guarantee their rights, so that they may realise their aspiration to a decent living and secure future. The relation between the three components of production should be one built on trust that stems from serious dialogue and discovers the common denominators that can realise the objectives of all concerned.

We also would like to emphasise the need to enhance and cement partnership and constructive cooperation between the public and private sectors, so as to reduce unemployment, to train Jordanian workers so that they are qualified to work in the industrial and services sectors and to give them the opportunity to prove their ability to work, produce, achieve and create.

We are sure that with will and resolve, we are able, with the help of God Almighty, to build the future that all Jordanians, men and women, are worthy of, and to realise our vision to build Jordan as a role model, a homeland of justice, equality and equal opportunity.

Once again, I convey to you my greetings, workers of the homeland, wherever you work, and I reaffirm my deep feeling of pride in you, your dedication and your will, and I congratulate all of you on Labour Day. Many happy returns of the day, and may God grant us all success in serving dear Jordan.

Peace, God’s mercy and His blessings upon you,

Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein
Amman, 30 April 2006