RAMALLAH – The education sector was paralyzed in Palestinian territories Tuesday after school and university teachers went on strike over their unpaid salaries and other demands. Mohammed Sowwan, the Secretary General of Teachers' Union, said that the 38,134 teachers held a general strike “to pressure the government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to pay their unpaid September salaries and negotiate their administrative demands.” Sowwan added that “the 668,754 students remained at homes due to the strike.” Sowwan said that the teachers will hold a partial strike Thursday. He warned that the teachers will hold a partial strike on Thursday “if the government does not pay the salaries and fail to negotiate our related demands.” Meanwhile, Amjad Barham, the head of the Federation of Union of Palestinian Universities' Professors and Employees (PUUTE), said that 11 universities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip held general strike to demand higher payment and improvement in their service conditions. Barham said that the “PUUTE decided to hold the strike after the Council of Higher Education and universities' administrations failed to deliver on their promises of upping the employees' salaries, conditions and job security.” he said that the students remained at homes. He added that the Palestinian cabinet paid only $4 million of the $40 million of the universities' annual allowances. Barham warned that his federation will hold strikes and other measures if the government does not meet their demands. On Sunday, the Palestinian Finance Ministry announced that it could not pay full September salaries for it 145,000 civil and military employees. The ministry said in a statement that it will pay part of the September salary before the Eid al-Adha holiday, which is expected to begin on October 26, because of “the failure of donors, including our Arab brothers, to fulfill their financial aid.” It added that the tax revenues that Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) “does not cover the salaries bill.”
Israel transfers some 330 million Israeli shekels ($86 million) it collects monthly on behalf of the PA on goods imported by Palestinians and destined to the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian Finance Ministry said it needs $150 million monthly to pay the salaries of its employees. Palestinian Finance Minister Nabil Qassis said early this month that the Palestinian Authority faces a $400 million shortfall this year and has already been hit by protests over the spiraling cost of living and spending cuts by Fayyad's government. Qassis said that there were $300 million dollars of pledges unpaid. The Congress has blocked nearly $200 million in aid for the PA after President Mahmoud Abbas asked the UN Security Council in September 2011 to recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with West Jerusalem as its capital.
