Threat of Escalation and Two Additional Days of Strike

The General Public Employees Union released the following statement: "The government has presented us with decisions, which one can only say, are dismissive of the dignity and intelligence of public employees in all their designations. The so-called 300% increase in the first quarter of 2027 and another 300% in August is actually a 300% increase on the basic salary, retroactive to what employees currently receive, amounting to only 5% of the dollar value of the salary before the crisis.

"It is clear that the government has shown utter disregard by ignoring the demand to raise the daily transportation allowance. It seems as if they intend to give increases just to cover the large cost difference of commuting to work daily, while other sectors benefit from real increases—treating public employees like machines to be fueled with raw materials to keep functioning without any human dignity. Therefore, the union reaffirms its core demands will not be compromised; however, the immediate demand that cannot be delayed is raising the daily transportation allowance to 10 liters, especially since linking transport allowances to fuel prices is already practiced in the education sector, not a novel idea. Additionally, fuel allowances must be set according to the actual price of a liter of gasoline.

"Can any government in the world expect employees to report to work without the most basic logistical support, then force them to bear greater financial burdens? Is this effective administration or pushing employees toward shutdowns? What is humiliating is that these increases start from January 1, 2027, meaning employees will shoulder overlapping financial burdens during the remaining months of this year.

"Therefore, reaffirming its commitment to mandatory weekly stoppages every Friday, the General Public Employees Union announces strikes on Wednesday and Thursday, February 23 and 24, respectively. If the government fails to respond to the demand for increasing the transportation allowance, the union will extend the mandatory stoppage to a weekly basis, as the dignity of public employees cannot be used as a bargaining chip by anyone."