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UNRWA reaches deal to end Jordan staff strike

November 4, 2019 at 10:56 am

Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl at a press conference outside UNRWA’s office in Gaza on 23 May 2019 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has confirmed that an agreement has been reached between the Agency and its Jordan Field Staff Union, ending the labour strike that began yesterday. The measures adopted include adjustments to the Agency’s salaries to mirror recent salary increases for public school teachers in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

UNRWA management also decided to conduct an immediate salary survey to assess how the recent wage increase in Jordan will impact salaries in the Agency. A similar agreement was reached with the UNRWA Amman Headquarters Union yesterday.

“The Agency has taken important steps in the interest of staff at a time of significant financial challenges,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl. “I would like to particularly thank the [Jordanian] Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Ayman Safadi, whose extraordinary personal commitment and support were key to the positive resolution of the situation.” Krähenbühl also thanked the Director-General of the Department of Palestine Affairs, Rafiq Kherfan, for his mediation. “He played a very important role throughout the discussions.”

A statement from the Agency described as “outstanding” the joint efforts by UNRWA management, the staff unions and the Government of Jordan. It praised the commitment of all parties to the rights and dignity of Palestine refugees have kept the focus of the discussions on the continuity of vital humanitarian services, accountability towards donors and the wellbeing of Palestine refugees.

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“We are very grateful to all those who have played a positive role and have allowed us to move beyond points of disagreement,” added the Commissioner-General. “In any strike, the possible impact on the refugees weighs heavily on us; meeting their needs is the Agency’s priority. We would now like to ensure that we all go back to focusing on our responsibility towards Palestine refugees and towards ensuring that all vital services are uninterrupted.”

UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. The Agency is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. UNRWA encourages all UN Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency’s programme budget.

As a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA is mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.4 million Palestine refugees registered with the Agency across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.