Palestinian syndicate accuses Fayyad government of blocking salaries of hundreds of workers

A civil servants’ syndicate in the Gaza Strip denounced on Tuesday the Palestinian government in Ramallah for blocking the salaries of about 500 staff from the Gaza Strip and dozens of staff in the West Bank during the past three months.

Speaking at the syndicates headquarters yesterday the teachers’ head, Mohamed Siyam, said “the salaries of 323 workers in Gaza, including 14 detained prisoners, were stopped due to the wage cutting policy adopted by the Fayyad government.”

Siyam stressed that the job discrimination and staff wage cutting policy “adopted by” Fayyad’s government is “an insult to the Palestinian people and an infringement on the rights and career prospects of the public servants.”

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This policy first emerged months after the Palestinian division between the Ramallah and Gaza authorities in the summer of 2007. According to unofficial statistics, several thousands have lost their wages as a result of the policy.

Siyam said, “We emphasise our rejection and condemnation of the policy of blocking staff salaries, which affected hundreds of them in the recent days and we will not turn a blind eye to this policy against Palestinian employees.”

He called on the Arab League and the donor countries to immediately intervene by forcing the Fayyad government to stop the unjust policy of stopping salaries, which might lead to a significant rupture in the Palestinian national fabric.

Siyam also called upon the Palestinian forces and factions and human rights organizations to challenge the Fayyad government quickly and positively to end the inhuman practice and ensure a responsible and honourable attitude towards this policy.