Follow-Aware
Today, Monday, a general strike paralyzed all government facilities and departments, including the health, education, and judicial sectors in Gaza, in response to a call from the Public Employees Union in the Strip, in protest against the Palestinian reconciliation government’s “ignorance” of employee rights.
All government institutions closed their doors on Monday, and this is the second protest strike carried out by the union this month.
Employees Union spokesman Khalil Hamadeh said that this strike is “part of employees’ protest activities that will continue until the government fully responds to employees’ rights.”
He pointed out that the employees “have only received 40 percent of their salaries for five months.”
Hamada added that these protest activities come “due to the government’s continued denial and disregard for the rights of employees and their families.”
These employees receive a salary payment of one thousand shekels (approximately $250) per month, paid to them directly from the Ministry of Finance in Gaza, which continues to collect and collect taxes in the Strip.
The issue of absorbing employees of the former Hamas government, numbering about forty thousand civilians and military personnel, is considered one of the most important outstanding issues between the Hamas and Fatah movements.
Fatah and the Palestinian Authority demand the “full empowerment” of Hamdallah’s government, especially in the security and collection aspects, while Hamas demands that its employees be absorbed into the government.
The two movements exchange accusations of responsibility for obstructing reconciliation.
Source: Agence France-Presse