Employees at municipalities are faced with increasing difficulties in sustaining a living owing to the prolonged failure of local authorities to pay their salaries.
They have gone on strike many times since January 2006.
While they share this problem with Palestinian civil servants, the local authorities' employees complain of a highly erratic mode of payments, with employees of certain municipalities owed over seven months payments.
Employees at Jabalia-Nazla Municipality announced a partial strike for two hours on 19 and 20 March 2007 protesting the suspension of their salaries since July 2006.
On 21 March 2007, they employees went on full strike and threatened to suspend work in sanitation and water sectors next Saturday 24 March 2007.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights appreciates the scope of the problem of payment of salaries in Palestinian society since the start of the Israeli and international sanctions in March 2006.
The problem is even graver for local authorities who have not been able to meet their obligations owing to the sharp drop of their revenues, which is caused by the increasing levels of poverty and unemployment among Palestinians.
Nevertheless, Al Mezan recognizes the right of the employees of local authorities to strike and request payment of their salaries and their right to take legal measures to secure their demands.
Al Mezan calls upon the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to find solutions to secure the payment of salaries for local authorities.
At least, the PNA should pay attention to securing funds sufficient to pay those in equal frequency and amount as other civil servants.
The center encourages the PNA to make all the possible efforts to resolve this problem before a full strike commences, which will pose further risk to people's lives and wellbeing as well as the environment and public health.
Al Mezan also calls the international community to lift its sanctions and to exert pressure on Israel to release the Palestinian funds it holds given the gravity of situation and the high risk of deterioration of human rights.
End.