Gaza workers demand more jobs, pay hike

Gaza workers demand more jobs, pay hikeMay 5, 2023Gaza, May 5 (IANS) Hundreds of Palestinian workers in Gaza took to the streets demanding more jobs and a pay increase.The workers who have endured economic hardship and harsh living conditions for more than 16 years took part in the rally to make a strong appeal to authorities and local businesses for a real solution, Abdul Karim al-Khalidi from the Trade Union Action Front in the besieged enclave told Xinhua news agency.Samih al-Masri, a worker from Beit Lahia in the north of Gaza, said the years-long Israeli blockade and internal Palestinian division deepen Gaza’s economic struggle.More than half of the Palestinians in Gaza have no source of income as a result of the Israeli blockade imposed on the territory since 200.A recent report issued by the General Union of Palestinian Workers (GUPW) shows that Gaza’s unemployment rate has exceeded 60 per cent, poverty rates reached 64 percent, and food insecurity rates at 70 per cent.As a result, nearly 1.5 million Gazans depend on aid provided by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and other relief institutions, according to the GUPW report.–IANSksk/https://ians.in/news/gaza-workers-demand-more-jobs-pay-hike/C-1-1588795.html