UNRWA staff in Gaza strike as demands remain unmet
UNRWA schools and clinics in the besieged enclave were closed as the agency failed to meet its staff’s demands.
Staff at the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip staged a general strike in the enclave on Sunday in protest against the agency’s lack of response to their demands, the UNRWA’s local staff union said in a statement.
“There has been no positive progress regarding our demands except for some minor responses,” the Arab Employees Union added.
A crisis between the UNRWA and its Gaza employees has been brewing for months as staffers demand that the agency halt its downsizing plans and improve working conditions.
The head of the Arab Employees Union, Amin al-Mishal, told Al-Araby al-Jadeed that Sunday’s strike is the beginning of a series of escalatory steps to pressure the UNRWA’s administration to meet all their demands that had been previously approved.
