The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and union leaders representing its staff have reached an agreement to increase retirement benefits for all staff retiring on or after January 1, 201o, the Jordan Times reports.
The deal entails a raise from 8.5 per cent to 10 per cent of the retired employee’s annual salary for each year of service.
Union had organised series of protests, strikes throughout 2009
Sami Mshasha, chief of UNRWA’s public information office and agency spokesperson, said the agency’s administration has also agreed to increase salaries by 3 per cent for its staff in Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza in early 2010, in addition to adjustments to ensure UNRWA workers’ earnings are comparable to those of their peers in the public sectors.
The Palestinian Ma’an News agency says the agreement followed months of on-and-off strikes.
In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times on Sunday, the UNRWA official said that a salary increase for the agency’s staff in Syria and Lebanon will also be applied when indicated by adjustments in public sector salaries.
UNRWA has been the subject of strikes, stoppages and protests throughout much of this year. The UNRWA workers’ unions organised protests and stoppages in February, March, April, May, September, October and November this year.
Most of UNRWA’s incomes goes to pay staff
“While most of UNRWA’s income goes towards staff salaries, the agency has to balance staff needs with equally important and urgent needs of refugees such as financial support to the most vulnerable refugees, better maintained schools and buildings, better hospitalisation services,” he indicated.
Mshasha pointed out that during a ceremony commemorating the relief agency’s 60th anniversary, held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo yesterday, outgoing Commissioner General Karen AbuZayd called on Arab states to increase their donations to the underfunded regular budget.
Arab donors cutting back on budget funding
The Man’an News Agency said that the salary and benefits increases comes after the USA and the UAE both pledged millions of dollars in support for the UN organisation charged with the care and support of Palestinian refugees in the near east. In November, officials from UNRWA said the agency faced a “zero budget” as of the new year.
“Arab donors give little more than 1 per cent to the regular budget while 20 years ago they gave up to 8 per cent, a figure the agency and the Arab League are trying to restore and reimplement,” Mshasha explained.
UNRWA is projecting a $140 million shortfall in its $543 million budget for next year and is asking for $323 million to support its emergency services in 2010.
This week UNRWA official repeated their calls at a meeting of the 22-nation Arab League for increased funding to the Palestinians, saying the agency needs cash to create jobs and provide health care and schooling.
Earlier reports on UNRWA stoppages this year