Employees of UN relief agency for Palestine protest downsizing plans

By Awad al-Rujoub and Nour Abu Eisha

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) went on a general strike in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Monday to protest the planned downsizing of the agency.

A statement from UNRWA's staff union said the strike was also to demand that sanctions imposed on union representatives by the agency should cease.

Mohammad Shweideh, a member of the union, said the strike in Gaza was partial to allow UNRWA to continue its work.

In the West Bank, some 3,700 UNRWA workers participated in the strike.

Shweideh called on UNRWA management to correct the employment status of many of its workers, adding that 21% of health workers have either temporary contracts or contracts on a daily basis.

For its part, UNRWA called on its employees to engage in dialogue to find a solution to the strike.

"We did not hope that the situation would escalate to the point of closing UNRWA schools and health centers, because the Palestinian refugees are the ones paying the price for this strike," Adnan Abu Hasna told Anadolu.

Founded in 1949, UNRWA provides vital assistance to Palestinian refugees in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar