Gaza Herald – More than 3,000 UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip face an uncertain future after the agency moved to replace their existing employment arrangements with three-month contracts, prompting sharp condemnation from the Joint Committee for Palestinian Refugees in Gaza.
In a statement issued Sunday, the committee denounced the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for sending notices to thousands of employees with fewer than 13 years of service, requiring them to sign new contracts lasting just three months.
The committee warned that the decision threatens the livelihoods of more than 3,000 employees and places thousands of Palestinian families at risk of losing their financial security amid Gaza’s devastating humanitarian and economic crisis.
Thousands of Employees Face an Uncertain Future
The committee described the decision as a serious threat to employees’ professional futures, contractual rights, dignity, and family stability.
It stressed that UNRWA employees are not simply figures on a payroll or financial burdens to be eliminated through administrative decisions.
Rather, they are experienced professionals whose years of service have been essential to the agency’s humanitarian operations and its support for Palestinian refugees.
The committee warned that the three-month contracts could pave the way for mass dismissals once they expire.
It rejected the idea that the measure should be treated merely as a temporary response to UNRWA’s financial difficulties, arguing that the agency must protect its workforce rather than expose employees to the possibility of losing their jobs.
Committee Holds UNRWA Leadership Responsible
The committee sharply criticized UNRWA’s Acting Commissioner-General for proceeding with the measure without meaningful dialogue with employees or adequate consideration of its consequences.
It emphasized that the future of thousands of workers, and the services on which millions of Palestinian refugees depend, cannot be determined through an email notification or a three-month employment contract.
The committee demanded an immediate halt to the decision, guarantees of job security for affected employees, and full respect for their contractual and professional rights.
It also called for serious negotiations involving employee representatives and Palestinian refugee organizations.
Holding the Acting Commissioner-General responsible for the consequences, the committee demanded his resignation if he remains unable to protect the agency and safeguard its employees’ rights.
The committee further warned that allowing the decision to proceed could open the door to additional measures targeting UNRWA’s workforce.
Urgent Appeal to the United Nations and Refugee Host Countries
The committee urged countries hosting Palestinian refugees to intervene immediately with UNRWA’s administration and the United Nations to prevent the measure from taking effect.
It also appealed directly to UN Secretary-General António Guterres to intervene and hold the agency accountable for decisions threatening employees’ job security.
The statement called on Arab employee unions, Palestinian political and national organizations, popular committees, trade unions, and civil society institutions to coordinate urgent action against the decision.
The committee stressed that protecting UNRWA employees is inseparable from protecting the agency’s ability to fulfill its humanitarian responsibilities toward Palestinian refugees.
For more than 3,000 employees in Gaza, the prospect of losing their jobs threatens not only their livelihoods but also the financial security of families already struggling to survive the devastation of Israel’s war.
The committee called for the immediate withdrawal of the three-month contract measure and meaningful guarantees that employees’ rights and professional futures will be protected.
