The General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU) said equal wages in the workplace is a "key" labor right that would provide a decent environment for women, enhance their economic participation, and protect them from all forms of discrimination in pay of work of equal value. In a statement issued by on International Equal Pay Day (IEPD), which falls Tuesday, GFJTU head, Khaled Fanatseh, said this occasion is an opportunity to affirm the workers' right to receive equal pay, which is guaranteed by local legislation and relevant international conventions. In this regard, he noted working women have the right to receive equal pay as men in jobs and professions, with similar value of work and effort. Fanatseh also called for controlling wage-related violations, including gender-based pay discrimination. Fanatseh noted Jordan's Labor Law, according to the amendments made in 2019, added a definition of pay discrimination, which is the lack of equality in wages for each job of equal value without any gend er-based bias. Fanatseh added that Article (53) imposed a penalty on the employer for any case of pay discrimination, which is doubled if the violation is repeated. GFJTU, in cooperation with the relevant authorities and civil society institutions, is working to promote gender equality in labor rights, he pointed out. The federation, he said, seeks to find "appropriate" solutions to address gender-related wage gap, especially in sectors that witness a large participation by women,primarily the private education sector. Source: Jordan News Agency