Public sector workers in Palestine, including teachers and transport workers, have struck to demand the regular payment of wages. Teachers struck on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 January.
Recent workers’ struggle in the public sector in the Palestinian West Bank dates back to September, when mass demonstrations against the Palestinian Authority’s economic policies mobilised workers from across the sector.
In December, teachers in Hebron, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Jenin struck, affected 166 schools. On 10 January, the Palestinian Public Transportation Syndicate called a general strike. Members of the Palestinian Union of Public Employees, which represents civil servants and local government workers, have also taken strike action.
Irregular payment of wages is an issue for workers across the public sector, and unions are demanding regular monthly pay packets. Speaking to Gulf News, a Palestinian Union of Public Employees official said: “We need to discuss the current financial conditions with the government to present the government with our views and recommendations.
“The government does not have the right to keep the financial conditions a secret and or fail to announce the exact date for paying the salaries of public workers”.
