Wrongful Dismissal in Jordan: Your Rights & Legal Steps

Wrongful dismissal from employment is among the most prevalent labour disputes before Jordanian courts, as it represents a flagrant violation of job security and livelihood stability. Despite the legal protection guaranteed by the Jordanian legislature, a large segment of workers lack sufficient awareness of the lawful conditions for termination of service, which renders them vulnerable to losing their financial and compensatory rights.

Furthermore, ignorance of the legal procedures and the prescribed time limits for asserting one's rights causes the aggrieved party to forfeit the opportunity to recover their entitlements. Understanding the relevant legal provisions and the practical steps for litigation is therefore of paramount necessity to ensure justice and to confront employer transgressions with full resolve and firmness.

Wrongful Dismissal from Employment

Wrongful dismissal from employment is a unilateral act taken by the employer to terminate the contractual relationship without a legitimate justification or a sound legal basis. The Jordanian Labour Law No. 8 of 1996 has established precise frameworks to define this violation, considering any termination of service that does not correspond to the exhaustive cases prescribed by law as an infringement upon the worker's rights.

The gravity of this act lies in the undermining of job security, which entitles the aggrieved party to the legal right to claim fair compensation and to establish the unlawfulness of the decision before the competent courts, so as to ensure the full recovery of their labour rights.

Wrongful Dismissal from Employment

Employee Rights in the Event of Wrongful Dismissal from Employment

The rights of a dismissed worker under Jordanian law revolve around ensuring redress for harm suffered and securing financial entitlements, and they are as follows:

The right to claim financial compensation from the employer, as assessed by the court, for unlawful termination of service.
Entitlement to the statutory gratuity for prior years of service, in accordance with the cases prescribed by law.
Receipt of one full month's wages in the event that the employer fails to comply with the prescribed notice period.
The possibility of filing a judicial application for reinstatement in exceptional cases as determined by the judiciary to ensure occupational justice.

Practical Steps Following Wrongful Dismissal from Employment

When faced with an unjust decision to terminate your services, taking the correct steps to file a labour claim is your sole recourse for recovering your rights. Those steps are as follows:

Insist on receiving an official letter clearly stating the termination of service and its reasons, to serve as compelling legal documentary evidence.
Retain all copies of contracts, electronic correspondence, and payslips that establish the existence of the contractual relationship.
File a complaint with the Jordanian Ministry of Labour as a proactive step to attempt an amicable settlement and to document the incident.
Initiate litigation proceedings before the competent courts to claim fair compensation within the prescribed legal time limits.

To ensure the construction of a solid legal position and the protection of your acquired rights from being forfeited, Attorney Yasmin Abu Hadba offers you specialised legal consultation and optimal judicial representation to secure your labour rights with full competence.

What Is the Time Limit for Filing a Labour Claim?

The legal time limit for submitting a labour complaint is decisive and admits of no leniency. The legislature requires that a wrongful dismissal claim be filed within a maximum period of 60 days from the date of termination of service. The process begins by submitting the claim before the Ministry of Labour, and in the event that an amicable settlement proves unattainable, the case is referred to the competent court.

Exceeding this time limit may result in the right being extinguished by prescription. Accordingly, adherence to the prescribed timeline is the fundamental guarantee against forfeiture of your labour rights and for keeping the door of judicial recourse open to seek redress.

Compensation for Wrongful Dismissal from Employment

The mechanism for calculating dismissal compensation is determined pursuant to the Jordanian Labour Law to ensure that the harm suffered by the employee is remedied, in accordance with the following rules:

The worker is entitled to monetary compensation equivalent to half a month's wage for each year of service with the establishment.
The law has established a special protection for the worker by setting the minimum compensation at three months' wages, even where the years of service are fewer than that.
Compensation for wrongful dismissal is calculated on the basis of the last basic salary received by the worker prior to the date of termination of service.
This compensation is paid in addition to all other entitlements, including notice pay and end-of-service gratuity where applicable.

When Is Dismissal from Employment Considered Lawful?

The Jordanian Labour Law has specified exhaustive circumstances that grant the employer the right to terminate services without such termination being considered a violation. The most notable of those circumstances are as follows:

Where the worker commits an act falling under the categories of gross professional or behavioural misconduct as prescribed by law.
Persistent non-compliance with internal work regulations or general safety instructions despite repeated warnings.
Absence from work without an acceptable excuse or prior authorisation for the periods designated by law as grounds for contract termination.
Where the worker intentionally or through gross negligence causes substantial loss to the employer, provided that the competent authorities are notified within the prescribed time limit.

Wrongful Dismissal from Employment

The Importance of Engaging a Specialist Attorney

The importance of engaging an expert attorney in labour cases is manifest in their ability to turn the course of proceedings in your favour and to ensure that your rights are not lost in the face of employer intransigence, through the following:

Assuming responsibility for identifying and preparing compelling evidence and documents that establish the arbitrary nature of the termination of service.
Drafting the claim statements and financial demands with a high degree of precision to ensure comprehensive coverage of all compensation guaranteed by law.
Pleading on behalf of the worker before labour courts with expertise that ensures effective confrontation of any legal loopholes that the opposing party may seek to exploit.

Because labour cases require sustained legal commitment and deep familiarity with legislative amendments, Attorney Yasmin Abu Hadba stands out as the foremost labour case attorney in Jordan, offering you the necessary legal support through specialised legal consultation that sets you on the right path to fully recovering your rights and financial entitlements with seriousness and professionalism.

Key Practical Advice for Workers

To protect your professional stability and ensure that your acquired rights are not forfeited, the following guidelines explain how to protect yourself from wrongful dismissal from employment:

Refrain from signing any resignation or release documents under pressure or duress, as doing so extinguishes your right to claim compensation at a later stage.
Ensure that you retain an original signed copy of your employment contract, as it constitutes the primary reference for establishing your rights and obligations before the courts.
Do not accept any inequitable amicable settlements or waive your financial and labour entitlements before obtaining legal advice for workers in Jordan from a reliable legal authority.
Precede any legal action by consulting a legal expert to assess your position, so as to ensure that your next steps are formulated in conformity with the provisions of the Labour Law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the employer have the right to dismiss me verbally?

Dismissal must be effected by means of an official letter clearly stating the reasons; a verbal dismissal makes it easier to establish its arbitrary nature before the courts.

What should I do if the company refuses to deliver my entitlements?

You must immediately proceed to file an official complaint with the Ministry of Labour or initiate the procedures for filing a labour claim within the legal sixty-day time limit.

Confronting wrongful dismissal from employment requires full legal awareness and firm resolve to secure the rights guaranteed by the legislature. Do not allow the pressures of the workplace or ignorance of procedures to deprive you of your job security, for legal protection exists to afford redress to every worker who has suffered injustice. Because your professional future deserves to be defended, taking the correct steps at the appropriate time is the sole guarantee of vindication and of ensuring receipt of all the compensation and financial entitlements to which you are rightfully entitled, with full dignity.

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