GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya said the government in Gaza would not stand by and watch as the UN Relief Works Agency ignores the demands of its staff.
“We are following developments and the dispute between UNRWA and the staff union, and we have discussed it and tasked ministers with following officials in the relief agency,” Haneyya said during the opening ceremony of the international book fair in Gaza on Wednesday evening.
“We cannot stand by idly and watch the escalation of popular movements and the silence of the agency’s officials against the staff’s demands,” the Palestinian premier said.
He emphasized that industrial action is guaranteed under UNRWA regulation code, pointing out that UNRWA’s measures must be curbed in a way that protects the rights of its employees.
This comes as some 7,000 teachers at UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip sat outside of UNRWA headquarters on Wednesday to protest the decline of the agency for Palestinian refugees and the dismissal of its senior staff over political reasons.
The protesters demanded the reinstatement of the Local Staff Union’s chairman Suhail al-Hindi. He was relieved for participating in functions attended by Hamas political officials.
Speaking at the mass sit-in, Hindi warned that he had file containing information on “administrative flaws” inside UNRWA as well as corruption, threatening to release the file at the proper time.
“Let’s set ourselves right before it’s too late,” Hindi warned.
Hindi also emphasized objection over a new education policy at UNRWA, saying that such policies had not been agreed upon and the teachers had not been consulted concerning it.
Hindi warned against signing any document requiring the removal from the homeland.
He also brought up UNRWA’s removal of the words “relief work” from its official title, accusing the refugee agency of renouncing its primary function of providing relief and work for the Palestinian refugees.
Meanwhile in Beirut, the Hamas refugees’ affairs bureau said it watched with “great concern” at as humanitarian complaints against the UNRWA have mounted.
The statement was triggered after a local branch of the UNRWA administration said it would not help a refugee in north al-Burj refugee camp to rebuild his home after the roof caved in until the the next batch of funds would be received.
Instead of seeing the situation as an emergency, UNRWA offered to pay for his housing for three months but refused to take responsibility for after that time period, even if repairs were to take longer.
Haneyya: Gov’t will not be idle as UNRWA ignores staff’s demands
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