Gaza health, education workers strike over unpaid salaries

Palestinian health and education workers in the Gaza Strip staged a partial strike on Thursday to protest the government’s failure to pay their salaries.

“We will take further escalatory steps in case the salaries are not paid,” Mohamed Seyam, the head of public sector employees’ syndicate, told Anadolu Agency.

He called on the Palestinian unity government to “clarify” the situation about the salaries crisis in the strip.

There was no comment from the Palestinian Authority.

Around 45,000 Hamas-employed civil servants have not been paid since May.

One month earlier, Hamas signed a reconciliation deal with rival movement Fatah in which it agreed to relinquish rule of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian unity government.

The unity government did not, however, recognize Hamas-employed civil servants and refused to put them on its payroll.

Health workers on Wednesday called on the government to clarify whether the salary crisis would be resolved.