KUWAIT CITY, Nov 17: Around 100 Ministry of Education administrative workers staged a sit-in Wednesday in front of the ministry building to demand immediate approval of their pay raise request.
According to the protesters, mostly women, their demand will not be granted through letters, so they intend to continue the strike until the proposed increment is approved. They said their current salaries are not commensurate to the nature of their work, which is linked with that of over 80,000 other ministry employees.
Meanwhile, Assistant Undersecretary for Administrative Affairs Aisha Al-Rawdhan addressed the protesters, confirming the ministry has referred the proposed increment to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as it is the authority in charge of such issues. She said Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmad Al-Mulaifi is keen on protecting the rights of all ministry employees. She added, “As a Kuwaiti, I am saddened by what is currently happening in the country. The demands of citizens should be discussed in the National Assembly, not on the streets.”
On the other hand, Chairman of Kuwait Libraries and Information Society Obaid Al-Barazi explained the librarians, who participated in a protest in front of building 1, are fighting for their right to teach because they hold academic degrees with library work as their field of specialization.
Deputy Chairman of the society Abdulaziz Al-Suwait disclosed their efforts to solve the problems of the librarians proved futile. He asserted these employees play a vital role in the educational process, yet they have not been allowed to teach library studies for 20 years, since the subject became optional. “We demand replacement of all expatriates, who teach this subject, with Kuwaitis. The job titles should also be specified in line with the latest technological advancement. We hope minister treats all employees fairly,” he added.