The Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah (PA) had cut the salaries of 100 government employees who work in its security staff in the Gaza Strip.
A number of PA employees were surprised when they found out that their monthly salaries for February 2014 were not transferred to their bank accounts.
Local media lets published a list of names of PA employees whose salaries were cut.
Al Mezan expects that the salary cuts are owed political disagreement within Fatah movement.
It is worth noting that the PA had cut the salaries of over 30,000 employees in Gaza Strip when Hamas seized control over the Gaza Strip in 2007.
This practice continued to feed the insecurity of government employees and their families and has had a negative impact on the social life in Gaza.
Palestinian Public Service Law No.
4 of 1998 and its amendment of 2005 provide protection for government employees, whose salaries must be paid regularly.
These employees should enjoy a decent standard of life for them and their families.
Palestinian law provides that these employees must be paid for the work they do.
In exceptional cases, the law regulates how employees be dealt with.
For example, in case an employee is referred to investigation, his/her superior may temporary suspend him/her from work or reassign him/her to another job within the same department until the investigation is finished.
During suspension and/or investigation, the employee must be paid the salary in full; except in those cases when the suspension extends for over six months; in which case the employee must be paid 50% of the salary.
The law is therefore protective of government employees and such sudden cutting of their salaries is unlawful.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights asserts that the payment of government employees salaries represents a basic right guaranteed under the law.
They must not be subject to political considerations or differences.
Al Mezan further views with much concern the recent cutting of the salaries of PA employees, and calls on the PA government to revoke these cuts and resume the salaries payment without delay.
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