By Achraf Al-Rifi
“Mohammed” works as a janitor in “Sanaa” for a low wage with no official contract, work uniform, or health insurance, without taking into consideration his diligence and huge efforts.
“Mohammed” has been working in the cleaning fund of the capital’s municipality for five years with a monthly salary of twenty thousand riyals (about 35 dollars). One day, a motorbike hit him, during his work, when he was cleaning “the Sixtieth Street” causing an injury in his right foot, however, no one cared about him or about his treatment, as the motorbike owner left, ignoring what happened and even in his work nobody cared for his injuries, according to him.
“Mohammed” says that the medical insurance he had in his contract with the Republican Hospital is now invalid as it was interrupted by the war and the economic crisis that made it impossible for the concerned parties to make financial commitments to certain services.
Mohammed complains about the functional discrimination imposed against him and all his colleagues in the cleaning sector. In fact, they were not considered as official employees, but as temporary contractors or collaborators and with very low salaries ranging from 20 to 26 thousand riyals only.
He added sadly that his salary covers only the rent of his apartment, while he is the breadwinner of eight people, who were obliged to beg in order to help him in providing the necessities of life, within an unsafe living.
Like “Mohammed”, thousands of janitors in Yemen, work under an unfair working environment and legislative system, which do not guarantee their rights, in addition to working under the war conditions, which is full of risks.
In “Sanaa” only, 3 200 janitors work for more than 10 hours a day, according to a number of workers, where there is no guarantee of safety or protection equipment, especially in an environment full of garbage and unhealthy waste, which would definitely affect their health.
In many cases, janitors usually enter into strike, especially in case of a delay in their low salaries. Consequently, the cities turn into a large wastebasket. Recently, the “Abyan” janitors entered into strike because of the delay of their salaries for five months city because of their salaries being suspended for five months and not being paid at the end of each month.
Infringed rights:
The leader of the Sanaa cleaning fund syndicate, “Mounir Salam”, talks about the problems faced by cleaning workers in Sanaa, including the arrest of the pensions of deceased workers. Although, their diligent work and sacrifice for years, their children and families are unable to afford the necessities of life.
Unfortunately, the workers' dues cease immediately after their death, in violation of the labor law. Thus, the janitors’ rights will remain trampled even after their deaths leaving their families and children in a deep misery.
“Salam” hopes that the concerned parties will reconsider this case and consider the poor conditions of orphan children and wives of the deceased janitors.
However, the situation has become even worse, when the executive office of the General Union of Municipal and Housing Workers, branch of the capital’s municipality, which revealed the suspension of 1 300 workers’ salaries including protestors and deceased workers, since last July.
The union said that this decision was arbitrary and improvised and that the formation of a committee for field visits and surveys with the participation of the union should have taken place in order to verify the authenticity of the information, citing a number of measures the union had taken, in this regard, but in vain.
A union source, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the purpose behind this decision regarding this number of janitors is to replace them with others through a quota with some officials in the capital's municipality, pointing out that those who have been without salaries are contractors who were named in the civil service to issue an advisory opinion, however they were surprised by the arbitrary cut of their salaries.
However, the capital’s municipality in Sanaa announced that its reform measures to address the imbalances in the structure of the janitors will be through reviewing their payrolls and their correction, as well as, the verification of the work of those contractors.
According to a statement issued by the secretary of the capital, who was appointed by the Houthis, “Hamoud Abbad”, the goal is to find the payrolls of the contractors in the cleaning sector and to exclude the temporary and fake workers, and replace them immediately with the workers waiting to be recruited, who are about (861) workers.
“Abbad” believes that this measure is fair to the non-official workers, while tens and hundreds of official workers with payrolls, in the cleaning sector receive their salaries even during, but the union objects the illegal procedures used in this process.
The union announced in a statement (a copy obtained by the journalists’ network of Arab trade unions) its total rejection of any arbitrary decisions against workers, including the cut of their salaries without taking legal actions, demanding the acceleration in the payment of the salaries of all employees without exception, in addition to working on the issuance of an advisory opinion on recruitment of alternatives. Moreover, it stressed the need to involve them in addressing the workers’ conditions, the cleaning fund and its improvement, in accordance with the decisions of the Council of Ministers in this regard.
The union stressed also the need of the non-interference in the affairs of the fund and its branches and that the directives issued and actions taken are limited only to those authorized in accordance with the provisions of the law on the establishment of the cleaning funds and the improvement of cities, and the laws in force in the country.
According to the statement, the union's demands include stopping the replacement of the official employees who left their work for some time , unless in accordance with the Civil Service Law and its
executive regulations, in addition to completing the procedures for pension insurance for employees who have not been covered by the previous insurance. Moreover, the referral of the official dead workers to retirement and the non-cut of the deceased daily wages workers’ salaries, in case they died during the work or as a result of their illness and epidemics due the nature of their work, thus, the cleaning fund has to pay the salaries to their families according to the statement of the union.
The union did not ignore the low salaries of workers in this sector, but asked for a 100% increase in the salaries of its employees, since the net salary of a worker does not exceed (YR 25 744). In addition, they asked for the raising of workers' wages in the areas of cleanliness, gardens and agriculture because of their non-adequacy with their efforts and the high costs of living.
They also asked for the acceleration in the implementation of the third phase of the workers’ official recruitment, in accordance with the records signed with the Council of Ministers in this regard, as well as, the acceleration in the implementation of the financial reinforcement of the functional advisory opinions, which were not implemented by the Ministry of Finance.
The social integration:
The activists criticize the non-integration of janitors in the social life and their deprivation of some of their rights, as their children do not have access to education and state jobs because of the society's view and the government non-intervention in facilitating the integration process, asking for serious steps to support the education of the janitors’ children and marginalized groups and their integration into society and all the other sectors.
The war victims:
The former director general of the cleaning fund in the capital’s municipality of the capital, “Abdelalim Moqbel”, says that the situation of the janitors is linked to the current situation of the country, but they managed to continue to pay the workers’ salaries compared to the other government employees, in light of the cut of salaries.
He adds that the working hours do not exceed more than eight hours following the shift system, and that the health insurance of the janitors in the municipality of the capital exists, through a private company with a department that is concerned with this matter.
He hopes to raise the workers’ wages, which are determined by law in the fourth functional degree noting that the recruitment of workers has occurred since 2012.
He points out that the war affected the janitors, like any other civilians, resulting in the death of four martyrs, including three workers during the bombing of the workers’ city in the area of “Saouan”, in addition to the death of a driver in the bombing of “Atan” in “Sanaa”.
He focuses also on a number of the cleaning fund’s obstacles, including the ancientness of the tools and equipment that have become dilapidated, in addition to the invalidity of the main landfill, that suffers from great pressure, which could result in significant damage.
He stresses on the importance of people's awareness of the role of janitors and their integration in the social life, as well as, their education and awareness, praising the period of president Ibrahim Al-Hamdi's rule.
“Moqbel” emphasizes also the need to correct the structure of revenues of the cleaning fund and improve the conditions of workers, as well as finding a solution to the status of the main landfill and the decaying equipment.
Flash:
This is the situation of janitors; they clean and embellish the cities while they are deprived of their rights, and surrounded by risks, in an unhealthy environment, where there is no safe tools or security guarantees.
Between a limited salary and a miserable , the janitors’ suffering is growing more and more, in light of the absence of their social neglect and disregard from the civil society and human rights organizations, among an unjustified silence regarding their discrimination, despite their vital role in society.
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