In March, hundreds of unionists demanded the abolition of the General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU), the sole legally approved federation in Jordan. They also called upon the GFJTU President Mazen Maaytah and the presidents of all unions under its umbrella to step down, the accounts to be frozen and for the salaries of union heads in the federation to be terminated.
In August, plans to form an independent federation of Jordanian trade unions were announced after accusations that the current General Federation of Jordanian Trade Unions (GFJTU) was failing to defend workers’ rights. Jordanian labour law does not allow the formation of a trade union without prior permission from the government; however the committee to establish the new federation stated that in accordance with ILO conventions, founding members have only to notify local authorities of the formation of the union.