NO: 20/2020
Date: 19 Feb 2020
Press release
During a meeting organized by (ICSPR)
Participants stressed the need to restore national unity and activate all efforts to stop punitive measures against employees
Occupied Palestine / Gaza: The International Commission to Support Palestinians’ Rights (ICSPR) organized, today, Wednesday, February 19, 2020, a meeting on “Employees’ Rights in Gaza,” at the headquarters of the Commission in Gaza City, with the participation of employees, media professionals and youth activists.
Rami Abu Karsh, head of the National Campaign to Restore the Rights of Gaza Employees, spoke about the series of steps taken by the Palestinian government against employees and violating their rights, which began with cutting salaries and deducting them, the lack of respect for the civil service law, forced retirement and early retirement, and cutting the salaries of martyrs, prisoners and the wounded, and social affairs.
He emphasized that employees in the southern governorates suffer from geographical discrimination compared to the northern governorates, under security arguments and justifications for political rivalry, in contrast to what President Mahmoud Abbas said.
Abu Karsh indicated that West Bank employees receive their promotions and bonuses, while Gaza employees are being dealt with in unfair and illegal ways.
He pointed out that the punitive measures that were carried out against employees in the Gaza Strip came to undermine Hamas, forcing it to go to reconciliation, stressing that the ongoing measures do not harm Hamas in a specific way, but rather struck those who adhered to Palestinian legitimacy.
Abu Karsh asked how it is possible to confront the plots being hatched against the Palestinian cause, including the deal of the century, without strengthening the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, calling for the necessity of serious stands from all segments to stop the ugly discrimination against employees.
He stressed that the measures against employees have created many social problems, most notably poverty, divorce, financial debts, and large debts to provide housing and others.
Salah Abd Al-Atti, chairman of ICSPR said that the continuation of collective sanctions taken by the presidency and the Palestinian government against Gaza negatively affected the entire life and humanitarian system, especially the rights of public employees.
He added: “Since 2017, the Gaza Strip has been subjected to a series of measures within the framework of the sanctions imposed by the Authority, which were represented in the financial rule, failure to solve the problem of 2005 employees, cutting salaries on the grounds of political affiliation, cutting allowances for prisoners and the wounded, in addition to bank measures against employees.
He stressed that these procedures are illegal, and that the salary that a public servant receives is an inherent right owed to the government, which is guaranteed by the Palestinian Basic Law and the relevant laws to ensure his security, dignity and stability.
Atti called for the necessity to abolish all forms of collective punishment, and to work to neutralize employees and citizens from any political or administrative conflict, stressing his solidarity with employees and their families and supporting any peaceful and legal effort or move to object to these measures.
