Kuwait: Government Attacks on Workers’ Rights

The ITUC has criticised the 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 Minister’s statement was issued in
response to strike action being undertaken by employees in the Justice Ministry
itself.

Owen Tudor