Commercial Strike Hits Key Jordanian City in Support of Striking Truckers
Truck drivers in Jordan walked off the job two weeks ago to protest high fuel prices
A commercial strike was launched Wednesday in the southern Jordan city of Maan to protest the continued failure of the government to respond to the demands of striking truckers. Truck drivers began a protest strike on December 4, calling for lowered fuel prices. The government has refused to adjust the price of fuel, with Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh telling the national broadcaster Jordan Television that “the government doesn’t have the luxury of lowering fuel prices.”
Majd Saharar, the former mayor of Maan, told The Media Line that organizers are trying to keep the protests nonviolent, despite frustration over the fact that the government has paid little attention to the needs of the people.
“For 11 days the truckers have been on strike, and no one has even bothered to talk to us. They send us envoys and they try to break our protests and provoke us, but we are determined to keep the protests nonviolent,” he said.
Saharar says that a delegation of parliamentarians and other activists came to Maan to listen to their demands but that no government official has made any direct connection.
For 11 days the truckers have been on strike, and no one has even bothered to talk to us. They send us envoys and they try to break our protests and provoke us, but we are determined to keep the protests nonviolent.
Senator Jamil Nimri, a member of the upper house of parliament, told local radio station Radio al Balad that the government must not delay in finding a solution
Jordan’s Cabinet met on Wednesday and decided to add 3.5 million dinars, or $ 5 million, to the national fund supporting poor families. An official statement from the Prime Ministry said that the fund would provide financial support this winter to 107,000 families.
But Mohammad Abu Safieh, a taxi driver and radio anchor, told The Media Line that the government support is small compared to the need.
“This fund for the poor gives a one-time coupon averaging two to four dinars (about $3-$5) per individual. This amount is worthless in the current inflationary period,” he said.
Ahmad Awad, director of the Phenix Center for Economics and Informatics, told The Media Line that the attitude of the government toward the truck drivers and the public is the main problem.
“The government ignores its own public and only pays attention when the businessman starts screaming,” he said.
Energy expert Hashem Aqeel expects that the government will most likely lower fuel prices during its regular monthly price review.
“Global prices of oil have gone down, so it is most likely to bring the prices down,” he said.
Abu Safieh says that the government erred in raising the price of two important oil products.
“Kerosene is a key fuel product that is essential to poor families as they use it to keep warm in the winter months. Diesel is the fuel of trucks,” he explained.
Abu Safieh says that the government angered two key constituencies with the price rise on these two kinds of fuel.
Jordan has committed since 2014 to not subsidize the cost of fuel, but protesters say that the government can reduce the high taxes that it has placed on oil products, which is around 40%. Experts say that fuel costs in Jordan are among the highest in the entire Middle East, reaching as much as two times the price of fuel in nearby Lebanon.
The trucker’s strike has been supported by a number of other transportation sectors. School buses, local gas delivery trucks and some taxis have held protests in various Jordanian cities in support of the truckers. Parliament Speaker Ahmad Safadi and the government’s Energy Committee held meetings Tuesday with protesters and the government.
Civil society organizations have added their support to the truckers. Himam, a coalition of 13 Jordanian civil society organizations, issued a statement in support of the truckers and calling on the government not to apply ‘”unjust prices.” The statement said that most transport workers belong to families that are below the poverty line which has “increased to reach 24.1% of the entire population of Jordan.”
