Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah met with representatives from the Palestinian union for the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees on Wednesday, a Palestinian official has said.Labor Minister Ahmad al-Majdalani said that the meeting was set up to discuss a letter Hamdallah had received from UNRWA’s general commissioner, Ma’an News Agency has reported.
Filippo Grandi’s letter addressed the ongoing dispute between the agency and its Palestinian employees, al-Majdalani said.
The letter included a proposal to rehire over 50 employees who were laid off in late 2013, a major factor in the unions’ ongoing strike, the minister added.
He said that the Ministry of Labor would attempt to close the gap between UNRWA and the unions for the sake of children who have been out of school for over six weeks, and for refugees who have been receiving fewer essential services from the Agency.
Hamdallah called on the union to suspend the strike in order to meet the needs of refugees, and to provide an opportunity for negotiations sponsored by the Palestinian Authority.
Representatives of the union said they would study the letter’s suggestions with other union members, and that they would announce their decision on Thursday.
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