Amman, Oct. 25 (Petra) President of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Martin Schulz, accompanied by a delegation from Berlin, visited the headquarters of the General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU) of Jordan, where he met with Federation President Khaled Fanatsah, members of the Women’s and Youth Committees, Deputy President Khaled Abu Marjoub, and Director of the Foundation’s Jordan Office Sven Schwersensky and his team.
The visit the first of its kind focused on exploring ways to further develop and strengthen cooperation between the GFJTU and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in serving workers’ causes and enhancing trade union capacities to defend workers’ rights amid the evolving labor market landscape.
Fanatsah described Schulz’s visit as historic, reflecting the depth of the strategic partnership between the Federation and the Foundation. He noted that this collaboration has, over the years, stood as a leading model of social and labor cooperation rooted in support for social dialogue, capacity building, and the promotion of decent work principles.
He emphasized that relations between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Federal Republic of Germany are strong and strategic, based on mutual respect and cooperation. The partnership between the GFJTU and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, he said, is a natural extension of these close bilateral ties.
Fanatsah stressed that His Majesty King Abdullah II is the foremost supporter of the labor and trade union movement in the Kingdom and remains committed to advancing the labor sector, promoting social justice, and empowering workers to play their part in national development.
During the visit, Schulz inaugurated the GFJTU’s main training and conference hall established with the Foundation’s support as part of its continued assistance to improve the union’s working environment. The visit also featured the signing of the endorsement page for the "Jordanian Trade Union Training Manual," a collaborative project between the Federation and the Foundation designed to strengthen workers’ awareness of labor rights and enhance trade unionists’ skills in advocacy and organizational work.
Schulz expressed his appreciation for the GFJTU’s pivotal role in promoting social justice and dialogue among production stakeholders, commending its efforts to modernize trade union practices and adopt a participatory approach that strengthens workers’ roles in the development process.
He added that the launch of the training manual marks a significant step in expanding trade union organization and encouraging workers to join unions by equipping them with essential knowledge of their rights and tools to defend them.
Schulz underscored the importance of investing in workers’ training and education to keep pace with emerging challenges in the labor market, particularly those arising from rapid industrial transformation, the growing use of artificial intelligence technologies, and the impacts of climate change on production and employment sectors.
At the conclusion of the visit, Fanatsah presented Schulz with the GFJTU’s commemorative shield in recognition of the longstanding partnership and appreciation of the close relations between the two institutions.
//Petra// AF
