MIDDLE EAST: Thousands of Palestinian government employees go on strike in West Bank and Gaza to protest against unpaid wages

Record ID: 339547

  • Title: MIDDLE EAST: Thousands of Palestinian government employees go on strike in West Bank and Gaza to protest against unpaid wages
  • Date: 2nd September 2006
  • Summary: (W3)RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (SEPTEMBER 02, 2006) (REUTERS) HANAN ASHRAWI, PALESTINE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBER, WALKING OUT OF HOUSE ONTO PATIO (SOUNDBITE)(English) HANAN ASHRAWI, PALESTINE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBER, SAYING: "The public sector now will be paralysed but this isn't something really new because we have been witnessing a failure and a paralysis in the working o
  • Embargoed: 17th September 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Domestic Politics,Education
  • Reuters ID: LVAE8WYUM3FG6WXEO8VWW6T7CJQ9
  • Story Text: Tens of thousands of Palestinian government employees went on strike in the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday (September 2) to protest unpaid salaries and the perceived failings of the Hamas-led government.
    It was the first major work stoppage of its kind since Hamas, an Islamist militant group, came to power in March and amounted to a challenge of the government's authority by the rival Fatah movement, which strongly backs the strike.
    "The public sector now will be paralysed but this isn't something really new because we have been witnessing a failure and a paralysis in the working of the government for sometime. But this is an overt paralysis in that the offices will be closed and that the schools, the hospitals and so on will not be providing services. It certainly will effect the overall life of Palestine but, at the the same time, it's just bringing out into the open an underlying problem that has been accumulating, that has been building up," said Hanan Ashrawi, Palestine Legislative Council Member.
    Support for the strike was stronger in the West Bank, where Fatah enjoys substantial backing, but was also surprisingly robust in Gaza, the coastal strip that is a Hamas stronghold.
    Most schools across the West Bank, home to 2.4 million Palestinians, were closed on the first day of the new academic year, with teachers among the strongest adherents to the open-ended action that was called for by a major workers' union.
    "It is our natural right to request our pay cheques. The government should be paying us in a normal way," said a headmaster.
    Government offices were also shut as a large portion of the government's 165,000 employees joined the protest.
    Most government workers are affiliated to Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been in a power struggle with Hamas since the Islamists won a surprise victory in elections held in January.
    The Hamas election victory prompted Western countries to cut off aid to the Palestinian government because of the Islamist group's refusal to renounce violence and accept Israel's right to exist.
    The lack of funds thrust the Palestinian Authority into a crisis, rendering it effectively unable to perform its duties. Government wages have been largely unpaid since March.
    Thousands of children did turn up at schools in Gaza City on Saturday (September 2), but in most cases there were no teachers there to teach them.
    "I am here to get an education. They told us to leave because they are on strike. But we don't want to leave. We want to get an education. Because it's our right to get an education," said school-girl Rawan Ahmad.
    "They told us there is a strike but we want to get education and it is our right. We are going to keep striving towards coming to school. We have to stay in school. I say to them (the teachers) that just like how they've been educated, we need to be educated too. It's our right and it is the right of every Muslim to be educated," another school-girl said.
    The children's demand was echoed by graffiti on school walls saying "It is my right to get an education."
    In the West Bank, the gates of some schools were padlocked, prompting Hamas supporters to try to smash them open. Police said they were on alert for potential clashes between Hamas and Fatah rivals.
    Even if a unity government were formed, it is not guaranteed to put an end to the funding crunch, with donors saying that Hamas must first recognise Israel and put a stop to attacks.
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