Public universities launch 2-day strike after govt delays

The public university employees union said Wednesday it will hold a two-day strike after the "discouraging outcome" of a cabinet meeting a day earlier. Public university staff have been undertaking strike action since February, primarily calling for a raise in wages to match other Palestinian universities. The union said in a statement that several promises to address their demands had been broken, and the current government was prolonging the delay. Strike coordinators announced a deal to end the strike in late March, thanking the president for taking up their cause. But in April the union said it had yet to meet with a committee tasked with resolving the issue, slamming the government for not taking their demands seriously. The union represents Al-Aqsa University in Gaza, Palestine Technical College, Palestinian Technical Colleges in Deir Al-Balah, Arroub refugee camp and Ramallah, as well as the Science and Technology College in Khan Younis and Al-Ummah College in Jerusalem.