GAZA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The staff of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip went on a general strike on Wednesday for the second day, according to UNRWA staff union.
Amir al-Misehal, chairman of UNRWA staff union, had announced on Monday that the staff of UNRWA would go on a general strike on Tuesday and Wednesday at all the facilities and institutions of the agency.
He said in a press statement that the two-day strike was held at all UNRWA's facilities in the Gaza Strip in protest against the agency's cuts policies on the agency's staff and Palestinian refugees.
On Tuesday, UNRWA's staff stopped working at all educational, health and other services centers except emergency services, according to the organizers.
Signs were placed on the gate of the humanitarian headquarters in west Gaza City, saying "a general strike in protest against lying off UNRWA's employees and reduction of services."
Yousef Hamdouna, secretary general of UNRWA staff union, stressed that the strike "is a legal right for UNRWA's staff union to condemn what the agency is practicing of unfair decisions of firing employees and reducing its services provided to Palestinian refugees."
Hamdouna called on UNRWA to regret its decisions, adding that "it aims at resolving its fiscal crisis at the expense of the employees and the refugees."
On Monday, UNRWA decided to temporarily withdraw part of its international staff from Gaza following a series of worrying security incidents affecting its personnel in Gaza Strip.
