Kuwait workers fight for their rights

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This video says about itself:

Peaceful demonstrations by Bedouin tribes in Kuwait demanding the right to citizenship. The peaceful protest was later attacked by Kuwaiti police with water cannons and hoses. Video shot on the night of Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 as part of a ‘day or rage’ of pro-democracy protests sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa.

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

Twin strikes bring Kuwait to standstill

Sunday 18 March 2012

by Our Foreign Desk

Lorries backed up at the border and flights were grounded for a second day in Kuwait today as workers continued strikes for better pay.

Flag-carrier Kuwait Airways canceled flights as it struggled to cope with the action by staff, who demanded the government honour a pay deal agreed more than six months ago.

Incoming and outgoing flights on over 20 routes to both regional and Western destinations were hit.

Kuwait Airways union rep Abdullah al-Hajri said workers would stay out until “our demands that were previously approved by the government are met.”

A separate strike by customs workers stopped hundreds of lorries from crossing the border, causing some supermarket shelves to go bare.

They walked off the job last Tuesday, saying that a 25 per cent increase to their basic pay wasn’t enough.

Customs workers’ union official Marzouq Awwad said at the weekend that the walkout will continue until bosses come up with a better deal.

Power plant employees and university professors are also threatening to strike unless they too get increased pay and retirement benefits.

Kuwait: Nepalese runaway maid raped by duo, abandoned in desert: here.

Kuwait police disperse ‘stateless’ protesters: here.

Philippines stops sending workers to Kuwait over abuse fears: here.