KUWAIT CITY, Oct 2: Many civilians working in the Ministry of Interior Sunday held a demonstration in front of the ministry’s Finance and Administrative Affairs building at Ardiya, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
The workers, affiliated to different sectors of the ministry, demanded that the ministry treats them on par with their colleagues in the police, as stipulated in the decision of Civil Service Commission (CSC). Demands also include the payment of allowances and other bonuses to workers at the ports and technical inspection units who fall within the hard jobs category. They called for abolition of the workers union in the ministry.

Information technology employees protest in front of CSC building.

The event was attended by MPs Shuaib Al-Muwaizri, Musallam Al-Barrak, Ali Al-Deqbasi, Daifullah Buramiya and Khalid Al-Tahous amid significant security presence, involving the head of Al-Farwaniya Security Directorate Abdulfatah Al-Ali. The workers announced they will continue to hold weekly strikes Sunday mornings until their demands are met. They also threatened to embark on a general strike, even though a date wasn’t specified.

Meanwhile, a delegation representing the employees met with the ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Finance and Administrative Affairs Adeel Al-Ajran and presented a list of their demands. The demonstrators chanted leave! leave! as Al-Ajran came out of his office to address them. However, he promised to forward their demands to the concerned officials in the Civil Service Commission.

In an address, MP Musallam Al-Barrak stressed the government has contributed to the current crisis, which he said has resulted from its decision to only work on preserving the premier. Al-Tahous also said the sit-in will continue until all demands of the workers are fulfilled, while MP Buramiya warned the ministry officials on taking retaliatory action against the workers.

Meanwhile, a group of information technology employees staged a protest action in front of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) building Sunday to demand for a salary increment. The demonstration coincided with the meeting between CSC Deputy Mohammad Al-Roumi and representatives of the Kuwaiti Society for Information Technology.

According to the Secretary General of the society Jassim Al-Huwaitan, the meeting discussed the proposed pay raise for the information technology employees. He confirmed the society and the CSC are keen on treating the employees fairly, asserting the society submitted the draft pay raise proposal in November 2010, while the final proposal was presented in July this year. He said the CSC briefed the society on its vision regarding the proposal during the meeting. He hopes the proposal will be submitted soon to the CSC Council.