Gaza cancels International Labour Day in protest against the siege

Workers in the Gaza Strip did not know that today marks International Labour Day. Some of them expressed their misery and their need for work, others said it was a day like any other as workers take a holiday on this day, however in Gaza they have been on holiday for several months now because of the Israeli siege on the Strip.

Some of them do not care for the vacation or International Labour Day as they found items which are not normally available on other days and see a good opportunity to provide food and drink for their families which have been deprived for the past months.

Travelling to the east of the Strip, it is easy to see abandoned cement plants and masonries. No work takes place in these buildings because of a lack of raw materials. Should workers be found, they are small in number and work only on Qatari project.

During a protest organised by the General Union in Gaza City and attended by a group of workers on the occasion of May 1, the organisation’s head Sami Al-Amassi said: “Due to the difficult conditions experienced by Palestinian workers and in solidarity with them, we decided to cancel the celebratory events of May 1.”

Al-Amassi said this comes in protest against policies by the government in Gaza, the presidency of the Palestinian Authority, the local institutions and the Arab and international communities that marginalise workers from their rights and limit activities which deal with the feelings and concerns of workers in recognition of the difficult conditions they are living in.

Workers around the world observe this day; they organise celebrations and festivals to mark this annual event. However, the disastrous result of the tightening of the Israeli siege of Gaza and the disabling of most areas of life has led to Palestinians suffering greatly with 170,000 workers now unemployed.

MEMO Photographer: Mohammed Asad

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