Workers at Gaza, Khan Younis and Rafah Municipalities have gone on strike, all with the same demands, which has suspended services such as hygiene and drainage systems.
According to Al Mezan field reports, Khan Younis Municipality employees are on strike for the fifth day since March 23rd.
Important departments for hygiene and drainage systems remain on strike although water services are still being undertaken.
As a result of the strike, garbage covered the streets and people had to use municipality cars to pump drainage water.
Workers at Khan Younis Municipality previously went on strike for three days on December 27th 2005, with the same demands.
Similarly, workers at Gaza Municipality went on strike for four days on March 18th, demanding that the municipality provide medical insurance, ensure regular payment of salaries and implement the civil service law, following the example of governmental employees in other municipalities.
Workers at Jabalia Nazla went on strike on March 25th from 10am to 12am.
They were protesting against delays of their payments and threatened to continue the strike if their demands were not met.
Further, workers at Rafah municipality also went on strike on December 18th 2005 for four days, with the same demands.
Al Mezan field reports showed that the workers went on strike as a protest to demand monthly payment of salaries and implement the civil service law in addition to other concerns related to insurance, pension and promotions.
Although Al Mezan Center for Human Rights expresses solidarity with the workers' demands, it considers the strike a serious threat to people who are negatively affected if services remain suspended, mainly in Khan Younis where the sewage overflows into the streets.
Al Mezan stresses the importance of hygiene, particularly at this crucial time with the spread of bird flu.
Therefore, the Center calls upon the Ministry of Local Government to take serious steps in order to implement regulations similar to the civil service law, guarantee regular salaries for workers, radically end problems and disregard any temporal solutions.
The Ministry of Local Government can assist and increase municipality incomes in cooperation with bodies that have not lost their income during the Intifada.
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