Kuwaiti oil, gas workers end three-day strike

A three-day strike by Kuwaiti oil and gas workers, that had temporarily cut the country’s crude production by nearly half,has ended. This is according to a trade union statement that was posted in its Twitter account.

“In honor of his highness the Emir … we have decided the following. First, the cancellation of the general strike and the attendance of all oil sector workers at their places of work beginning at seven in the morning on Wednesday 20 April 2016,” the Oil & Petrochemicals Industries Workers Confederation wrote.The union further pledged “to make every effort to immediately return production to its previous level.”

The news of the strike’s end came just hours after Kuwait’s oil minister ruled out negotiations with the employees until they stopped, while one of the union leaders said the thousands of workers would hold out until planned public sector pay cuts were canceled.

Workers fear reduced salaries, benefits and staff layoffs will be part of a planned government overhaul of the payroll system in the public sector.

Kuwait’s acting oil ministerAnas al-Saleh, in an interview with Kuwaiti TV channel al-Rai, said production would continue and that no talks would proceed during a strike. “We cannot sit down at the negotiating table with the unions during a strike. We will achieve the impossible to continue to operate the oil sector despite the strike,” Saleh said.

Unions had not said how long the walkout would last. Non-Kuwaiti oil workers are not on strike.

Source: CNBC