Drivers protest, seek sick leave, pay hike – Many schools, PAAET affected

This news has been read 6336 times!

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 30: Several school administrations were forced to cancel some activities and planned trips to the Science Club and the Kuwaiti Museum, due to the strike staged by bus drivers of a company contracted to work with the Ministry of Education, reports Al-Rai daily.

The drivers refused to ply the buses after one of their Asian colleagues allegedly committed suicide by hanging because of the company’s refusal to grant him leave. A reliable source said the company promised to contain the situation and was able to get the buses on the road again before the end of the day.

According to reliable sources the ministry will insert some special terms in the contract and will order the company to pay fine which could be up to KD 50,000 because of the loss and damage the ministry had to suffer due to the strike.

The ministry has also allegedly threatened to terminate the contract if the strike is repeated. In the meantime, at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training the scenario was different as the bus drivers continued the strike for second day for the same reason. The striking drivers are also demanding that they be eligible to sick leaves as per the labor law, pay rise in line with the hours of work because some of them reportedly work for 14 hours at a stretch

This news has been read 6336 times!