Aden sanitation workers announce protests over privatization and layoffs

The sanitation workers' union in Aden has announced a series of escalatory measures, beginning with the wearing of red armbands and potentially leading to partial strikes. Ahmed al-Haidari, Vice President of the Aden Sanitation Workers' Union, stated that these actions follow the expiration of a deadline for responses to letters sent to the leadership of the Cleaning Fund and the Minister of State/Governor of Aden.

The union is protesting the privatization of collection activities by certain district leaders and the dismissal of more than twenty collection workers. Al-Haidari argued that these moves violate Law No. 20 of 1999, which mandates that revenues belong exclusively to the Cleaning Fund.

Union leadership warned that privatizing these collection processes would deplete the fund's primary source of income, which is used to pay employee salaries and cover operational costs. They further cautioned that such financial instability could lead to a significant environmental crisis in the capital.