Gaza civil servants stage general strike

By Ola Attalah

GAZA CITY

Palestinian public employees in the Gaza Strip staged a one-day general strike on Tuesday to protest what they describe as the "failure" of the Palestinian unity government to meet their demands.

"All civil servants in ministries and government institutions, except schools, went on a general strike for one day to call for their rights," Mohamed Seyam, the head of the Gaza Strip's public employees' union, told Anadolu Agency.

Seyam welcomed the arrival of the $1,200 each paid by Qatar to thousands of civil servants in Gaza last month as part of their overdue salaries, saying it was a "step in the right direction."

Yet, he noted, military personnel were not included in the plan.

"The union will continue its protests until all employees get their rights," he added.

Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said last week that 24,000 employees working in Gaza's civil ministries would each receive $1,200 following recent pledges by Qatar to provide Ramallah with a $30-million grant to cover salary shortfalls.

Yet, the plan is yet to be applied to the police and security apparatuses employed by the Hamas movement – which has governed the strip since 2007.

Some 40,000 civil servants employed by the Hamas government stopped receiving salaries soon after the formation this summer of a Palestinian national unity government.

The new government was unveiled in line with an April reconciliation agreement between Hamas and rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

The new government, however, has yet to assume political control of the Gaza Strip, impeding payment of Gaza's civil servants.

Both factions, meanwhile, continue to accuse each other of attempting to sabotage the reconciliation deal.

www.aa.com.tr/en