GAZA CITY, Nov 17, 2009 (AFP) - More than 16,000 employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) held a one-day strike in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to demand better pay, their union said.
A further 14,000 observed a two-hour stoppage in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, said Adel Eid, who leads the UNRWA's workers union.
He said the action is in protest at a reduction in services given to Palestinian refugees and management's failure to respond to employees' demands for salary rises.
UNRWA officials say the agency is in dire financial straits and in August forecast a 30 million dollar deficit over the year.
The UN agency is the main provider of basic services to more than 4.7 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants in the Middle East.
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Received by NewsEdge Insight: 11/17/2009 08:58:48
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