'All demands must be met'

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 21: The Secretary of the Workers Union of the Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) and its subsidiaries, Hussein Saleh Habib has announced the employees will go on strike from Monday, Oct 24, 2011, reports Annahar daily.

He said the strike will continue until all demands are met. He added the strike timings will be from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm during all days except Wednesdays and Thursdays it will be from 6:00 pm until 1:00 am.

The aim of the strike is to halt the aviation activity completely because of the failure of the Board of Directors of Kuwait Airways Corporation to implement the decision which was taken by the minister.

He added the union has planned to stage strikes continuously during the Hajj season because this will incur huge losses for the KAC estimated to be millions of dinars -- more than the salary increment demanded by the employees.

Meanwhile, the State Minister for Cabinet Affairs and acting foreign minister Ali Al-Rashid has denounced recent attempts by some lawmakers to politicize demands of the workers unions for personal political gains, reports Al-Rai daily.

At a press conference organized in the premises of General Fire Services Directorate, Al-Rashid urged the department to seek the services of retired officers, as well as specialized officers in the military, police and the National Guard anytime the officers stage another strike. He pointed out that the government will not allow officers on strike to take over the country, hence anybody whose rights have not been met should take it constitutionally.

Al-Rashid signed a memo to refer MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei to the Public Prosecution, as he accused the lawmaker of inciting the fire officers to hold the recent protest during which they stormed the department head's office and threatened and abused senior officials. He described the strike as the first of its kind in Kuwait.

In another development, the government has not outrightly rejected the proposed salary increments as it remains committed to its promise to protect the interests of workers, reports Al-Jarida daily quoting Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali. 

However, Al-Shamali stressed the need to implement a new policy in granting salary increments in order not to deplete the national budget.  He explained the government wants to control the increments to protect the financial position of the country.  He said the issue necessitates a comprehensive study to strike a balance between granting the pay raise demands of workers and the national budget, while preventing inflation.  He affirmed the concerned authorities have started working on the study, which will be completed in three months. He urged the labor unions and the employees to wait for the completion of the study before pushing for the approval of their demands.

Al-Shamali revealed the Chapter One of the national budget increases every year and this might have negative repercussions on the economy, especially if the proposed increments are approved without carrying out the necessary study.  He affirmed HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah has issued a directive to treat the employees equally, particularly in granting salary increments, in addition to controlling inflation.

On the other hand, State Minister for Planning and Development Affairs Abdulwahab Al-Haroun warned the continuous demand for salary increments and revision of job titles in the public sector will have a negative impact on the development plan.  He hopes the government handles the issue carefully.  He asked the private sector to activate its role in national development and economic growth.  He revealed the development policy of the country must include a mechanism for increasing the number of national workers in the private sector, while doing the opposite in the public institutions, in order to balance the equation.

© Arab Times 2011