Gaza teachers boycott schools over cut salaries

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Thousands of Palestinian teachers on Wednesday boycotted schools in the Gaza Strip for one day over recent salary cuts.

The salaries of 400 teachers have been slashed amid a recent policy by the Ramallah-based government to reduce salaries of its employees in the enclave.

"Protests will continue until the government revokes its decision to cut the teachers’ salaries,” Aref Abu Jarad, head of Palestinian government employees syndicate, told Anadolu Agency.

He warned that another boycott could take place in the next weeks with a possible escalation.

On February 5, the Ramallah-based government cut the salaries of more than 5,000 civil servants in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, according to Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights, a Palestinian NGO.

According to the NGO, the move was predicated on the “political affiliations” of the targeted civil servants -- a reference to the link many of them have with Hamas.

Ramallah, for its part, has yet to issue a statement on the reported stipend and salary cuts.