Joint Service Council for Solid Waste Management – B.lahem مجلس الخدمات المشترك لادارة النفايات الصلبة – بيت لحم
One day before Eid al-Adha, in a tourist city where pilgrims and tourists from all over the world are pilgrimage, the Palestine News Network (PNN) camera revealed the accumulation of solid waste in many waste containers in the streets of the main cities of Bethlehem, especially as some municipalities reduced the waste collection once a week in some The neighborhoods have collected large amounts of waste in the vicinity of these containers as pictures show the network camera.
PNN asked about the reason of the accumulation of waste in the vicinity of containers in various cities and towns of Bethlehem, which signed a contract with the Joint Services Council to find out the reasons for the collection of waste in these quantities in some sites, especially since the strike of employees and workers of the Joint Services Council struck for a day to demand their salaries, which did not receive for the month According to Khadr Salma, the chairman of the Joint Services and Workers Committee.
In his interview with Palestine News Network (PNN), Masalmeh said that this strike has become a semi-monthly tradition and that they went on strike last month for a day and a half before receiving their salary. Not to delay the salary.
Regarding the strike demand for the salary of 7 month, Masalmeh said that we demanded the basic salary for the last month without any allowances, which is 2700 NIS for the driver and 2250 for the worker. .
Masalmeh stressed that the strike will continue as we appeal through the Palestine News Network, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister and officials, and we call on Governor Kamel Hamid to intervene immediately so that we can fulfill our minimum commitments in the Eid because we are tired of continuing the situation in this way.
Services Council: The crisis is the result of the government not paying its obligations and not paying the citizen its obligations
In the context of seeking to take the position of the Council, we went to Engineer Iyad Abu Rudeina, Executive Director of the Joint Services Council, who stressed that the Council’s staff are working 24 hours a day and are making great efforts around the clock to remove waste from various cities. They demand it is one month’s salary, as some municipalities are delayed to pay their debts as a result of the financial crisis suffered by the government, which did not pay the dues of the municipalities, which are delayed to pay their obligations to the Council due to lack of liquidity, which led to delayed salary for this month to the employee where.
Abu Rudeineh said that the council went to the bank it accredited, Bank of Palestine, in order to pay salaries to employees and the statement of the account of the Joint Services Council, where they were provided with all the necessary paperwork to reveal the account of the council. the demand .
For his part, Attorney Anton Salman, Mayor of Bethlehem and Chairman of the Joint Services Council for Solid Waste, which was overseeing the pavement of Al-Atan road between Bethlehem and Beit Sahour, where he confirmed the existence of the crisis as a result of the strike of employees and workers of the Joint Services Council since yesterday, which led to the accumulation of debt.
Salman said that he was able to provide an advance of 1500 shekels, where the amount was borrowed for each employee as an advance and debt from several parties and people after the bank refused to resolve the crisis of liquidity shortage in municipalities, which did not pay due to the lack of liquidity resulting from the failure of the government to pay the dues of municipalities and non-payment of citizens However, the committee’s workers committee insisted on receiving the full salary, knowing that the 1500 NIS advance will be completed after the Eid.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Joint Services said that the idea is to pay an advance and complete the rest after the holidays, stressing that the municipality of Bethlehem has a great responsibility and always has a plan “B” for the collection of waste and is the largest shareholder of the Services Council and do not risk and make the country vulnerable to a waste crisis.
Salman explained that the strike is illegal because it came suddenly and without warning and the Council is committed to pay the salary and the staff committee should not go on strike in this way and this way because the Council paid the salary in full and does not pay 60% of the salary, stressing that the strike entered the province crisis In these times.
Salman said that the Municipality of Bethlehem, within the framework of its keenness and alternative plans, worked on the collection of waste on its own initiative, where she operated one of the garbage collection vehicles to collect waste from the central areas of Bethlehem and operated this vehicle at the expense of the municipality in an effort to alleviate the crisis of accumulation of waste in the city of Bethlehem, especially we At the gates of Eid al-Adha, where the city is teeming with citizens from all over the province.
The mayor of Bethlehem said that the Joint Services Council is keen to continue the service of waste collection and there is keen to provide the amount of 1500 shekels according to the possibilities available to him until the availability of liquidity in the municipalities, stressing his awareness of the magnitude of the crisis and the need of staff and the Council will continue and efforts to resolve the crisis, especially in these days .
Salman stressed that the problem in the Council stems from two basic issues, the first is the failure of the government to pay its obligations to the local councils as a result of the political and economic situation experienced by the Palestinian issue, in addition to the second thing is the failure of the citizen to pay the dues of municipalities, especially with regard to waste collection service, which weakened the municipalities and reflected on their capacity in Pay the commitment to the Council and therefore the existence of crises from time to time.
As the municipality of Bethlehem sought to resolve the crisis, photographs were taken on several streets