KUWAIT CITY, Aug 31: The ongoing strike of Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC) drivers continued for the third day on Tuesday.  The drivers have been protesting against the company’s decision to reduce their salaries by KD 50.
 

The company is losing revenue worth about KD 25,000 every day due to the strike, says Director of Workers Union Mishaal Al-Enezi, adding the revenue from ticket sales alone is about KD 12,000 daily. The company also earns money through advertising.

In a press conference held Monday evening, Al-Enezi said the company should stop wasting public money and come to a solution soon. He denied that there were disagreements between the workers union’s board of directors and the company’s board of directors and also refuted allegations that the union provoked workers to stage a strike.

He said the bad management of the company and the deduction of KD 50 from drivers’ salaries led to the strike. He added that the government had approved KD 50 dearness allowance in 2009, but the company has not been paying it.

Al-Enezi mentioned that the company dismissed 88 drivers in the last couple of days for objecting to the deduction in their salaries and “this is against the labor law for the private sector.” He noted that salaries of 2,900 workers were deducted. Al-Enezi called the company to respect the rights of workers and reappoint the dismissed ones.

Meanwhile, several people were inconvenienced by the strike and had to wait long time at bus stations.