KUWAIT: Earlier this month, the National Union for Kuwait Laborers and Employees (NUKLE) announced its intention to enter the political scene through the declaration of the founding of the Labor Party. The president of NUKLE, Abdulrahman Al-Sumait, noted that the Ministry of Social Affairs was trying to repress the union movement by banning labor unions and associated NGOs from conducting out political campaigns, and by threatening to dissolve those unions that engaged in any kind of political activity.
Some unions completely support the idea of establishing the Labor Party, while others partially agree with it, and some unions are against the idea. Adel Al-Hajb, President of the Union of Workers at the Ministry of Oil and the head of the founding committee of the Labor Party, said the Labor Party would add value to the political movement. "Article 104 of Labor Law No. 6/2010 bans labor unions from engaging in political activities, due to which the unions were not doing so.
But, after some recent political events, when many MPs invited the labor union representatives to join their meetings and protests, we felt the importance of founding this party," he told the Kuwait Times yesterday. According to Al-Hajb, many labor issues have been neglected by the government as well as the parliament. "This was the reason behind our decision to found the party. That way, we will be able to express our opinions on different issues, especially labor problems.
We have formed the founding committee of the Labor Party, as we don't have a law organizing political parties in Kuwait. We are waiting for the law to be passed and, in the meantime, we are focusing on the upcoming political body and setting the rules for becoming its member, among other things," he added. The workers are part of the political scene. "The political environment is reflected in the laborers, who are affected by negative political situations. For instance, when the parliament was dissolved, the recruitment of employees was stopped in different ministries.
Through the Labor Party, we aim to temper the government's power over some unions. Laborers across professions have their respective unions that defend theirsocial and financial rights and voice their demands. The Party will focus on the political issues," he noted."When some employees went on strike demanding a salary increase, many MPs joined them to support them. Then, the government contacted these MPs and struck a deal with them, as a result of which the demands were either met or denied. And with the Labor Party, we can directly enforce our views and opinions," concluded Al-Hajb.
Abdullah Al-Mutairi, President of the Union of National Assembly Employees, agreed with the decision to form the Labor Party but was against the idea of the party interfering in the unions' political activities. "We need a union that will take up all the issues and needs of the workers. According to the law, we can only have one labor union, but we demand having more than one. We need to protect the rights of workers, including their right to seek higher salaries, among other things, but these should be kept far from politics.
It's true that we need to communicate with political leaders in the government regarding these issues, but it's not acceptable and it's illegal to adopt political issues as part of our activities," he pointed out. Bader Al-Anezi, President of the Union of Ministry of Interior Employees, is completely against the idea of founding the political party. "The Kuwaiti Constitution forbids the interference of labor unions in politics. We are totally against using labor unions for political affairs and are against politicizing union activities. A labor union should only care about protecting labor rights," he stated.
Fnees Al-Ajmi, Secretary General of the Union of Applied Education Employees, expressed support for the party, which he sees as a part of democracy. "Founding this party will provide more freedoms. I completely agree with the idea of having new political parties in Kuwait, but everything should be done according to the law. After the Arab Spring, the laborers are aware of their important role, and they need a party now to represent them," he explained.The Labor Party will be participating in the elections as well. "I think that the ways of thinking are improving and the country is developing. I think the laborers will select the correct candidates from the Party rather than just vote based on their tribal connection," stressed Al-Ajmi.
Ali Al-Tuweijry, President of the Union of Civil Service Employees, pointed out that the union aims to fulfil labor demands through politics but it does not aim to participate in political issues that are not related to labor affairs or help its candidates reach the parliament. "We want to declare the Labor Party to work on certain political issues related to labor, such as equalising the salaries, but we are not connected to other political issues. We are against the exploiting of party position for election purposes and benefits," he added.
© Kuwait Times 2013
