Kuwait: More Government Attacks on Workers’ Rights

Brussels, 22 December 2011 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC has criticised that latest attack by the government of Kuwait against the rights of its own employees, following a statement by Justice Minister Ahmed Al Mulaifi that strikes are prohibited and that international conventions which guarantee workers’ rights are not applicable to him.

“The Kuwaiti government has issued a number of threats recently against the country’s workers, and this latest act by the Minister of Justice is totally unacceptable. Kuwait is a member of the ILO, and is obliged to respect fundamental freedoms in line with the ILO Constitution. The ITUC fully supports our affiliate in Kuwait, the KTUF, in its efforts to defend and promote these basic rights. Working people in Kuwait have legitimate grievances, and aggressive statements and actions by the government will only make the situation worse. The authorities should negotiate and seek to resolve problems, not try to make them go away by issuing threats,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

The KTUF held an extraordinary meeting of its Executive Council on 20 December to consider its reaction to the Minister’s statement, issued in response to strike action being undertaken by employees in the Justice Ministry itself.

The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 151 countries and territories and has 305 national affiliates.

ENDS

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