"Transportation and Communications" on Hot Coals.. Union Alert to the Government and Threat to Paralyze the Sector

Special for "SadaNews": Alaa Mayas, the head of the Transport Union in Palestine, announced that the transportation sector is on the brink of collapse, accusing the Palestinian government of leaving the sector alone to face many problems without intervening for a full two years, despite the immense pressure the sector faced due to declining revenues caused by war, blockade, and their repercussions. He warned that if the government does not respond to a series of demands necessary to rescue the sector, the union will resort to escalation measures, which may reach the point of paralyzing public transport in the West Bank.

 

Demanding Tax Exemptions

Mayas mentioned to "SadaNews" that despite this, workers in this sector have not demanded financial aid from the government, nor exemptions from the large obligations imposed on workers in the sector, such as licensing fees. However, at the same time, he called on the government to provide transport and communications workers with tax discounts on both income and value-added taxes, given that the levels of drivers' income have dropped by no less than 60% due to current conditions.

He noted that normally the government grants transport workers a tax discount of 50%, but with the approval of the new tax law, the authority has been restricted to the Cabinet rather than as in previous years, which complicates matters unnecessarily. He pointed out that the transport sector has debts owed to the government amounting to 18 million shekels, which date back to the COVID-19 pandemic when the government approved fuel support for the public sector at one shekel for diesel.
 
Accusation of Municipalities Collecting Fees Unjustly

He emphasized the need for facilitation regarding the commitment document that public transport drivers are required to present when licensing their vehicles, which is provided by the municipalities in exchange for using their facilities. He mentioned that municipalities do not cooperate in this matter despite the local government minister announcing a 30% financial discount, but most did not comply, highlighting the necessity of having a binding decision on this issue.

He added, "Many transport lines did not operate throughout the war for two years, and the vehicles operating on them have had to share shifts amidst the dwindling number of travelers," clarifying that municipalities demand drivers to pay accumulated obligations over two years and do not respond to installment requests or otherwise, forcing the driver to obtain this document from the municipality's licensing department, without which they cannot get licensed.

 He pointed out that this mechanism makes the Ministry of Transport and Communications appear as a partner with the municipalities or as a defender of their rights, while in reality, this document should be an administrative obligation, not a financial one on the driver. He indicated that in case of a financial dispute between the municipality and the driver, the original course should be to resort to the judiciary, not depriving the driver of the commitment document and consequently their license, thus practically cutting off their source of income. He noted that the commitment document, according to the line, is an obligation to run the line and charge fares, and has nothing to do with the driver fulfilling their financial obligations to the municipalities, as it is not the role of the Ministry of Transport and Communications to act as a "collector" for the municipalities.

 Mayas accused some municipalities of collecting fees unjustly because they do not comply with the regulations, specifications, and conditions that govern the work of public facilities issued by the Ministry of Local Government and approved by the Prime Ministry, noting that most of these facilities lack the required amenities such as bathrooms and health specifications.

Working with Exceptions, No Laws Respond to Reality

Mayas indicated that the circumstances that the Ministry of Transport and Communications has gone through recently in granting exceptions in licensing have affected people's lives, explaining that the laws and regulations governing the ministry's work have been in place for over 30 years and no longer align with the reality faced by drivers today. There is a confusion between exemptions granted for public purposes and those included in corruption suspicions.

Who Violated the Specifications?!

He pointed out another issue that needs addressing, which is the technical specifications of public vehicles being imported, stating that this issue is linked to the interests of capitalists. He stressed that the ministry should confront this group and not just fight "drivers," explaining that there is not a single vehicle in Palestine that is originally public from its country of origin, as most are originally private or commercial vehicles. Therefore, they are licensed as public despite violating the required technical specifications, and on the roads, police issue fines to drivers claiming there are violations in some specifications such as the nature of the vehicle's glass. He added, "What is the driver’s relation to this issue? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for the ministry to monitor the technical specifications with the companies importing these vehicles?!".

He reiterated that the door is open for dialogue with the government through a meeting with the ministers of transport and local government to address these pending issues, but if there is no response and the government continues in the same manner (as he described it), the union will have a position and escalation steps. He pointed to contradictions in the ministry’s approach towards developing the public transport sector, questioning how the government wants to renew the transport fleet by enhancing buses while its policy works to create alternatives for workers in the sector with approximately 7,000 "service" vehicles—where will those vehicles go when the government is the one that created them?

Private Vehicles Operating for Hire

Mayas pointed out that among the problems that need to be addressed are the "private cars" operating on transport lines, which number around 70,000 vehicles. He noted that some of these vehicles operate part-time while others permanently, affecting the revenues of workers in the transport sector who pay both income and value-added taxes, in addition to many fees and licenses.

Ministry of Transport and Communications: We are Ready for Dialogue

For his part, Muhammad Hamdan, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, told "SadaNews" that the ministry was surprised by the union's statement threatening escalation measures, stating that the union had approached the ministry previously with a request regarding extending licenses for public vehicles from model years 2006 and 2007, given that the law does not allow licensing a public vehicle for more than 18 years from its manufacturing date.

He pointed out that this matter is being studied by the ministry and will be presented to the minister for a decision. As for the rest of the demands, they are repetitive, whether in times of prosperity or hardship, such as obtaining tax discounts or addressing the issue of private vehicles that operate for hire, noting that the ministry is fully prepared to sit with the union and discuss all issues in the public interest, in accordance with laws and regulations.

Announcement of a Series of Escalation Activities

The General Union of Transport Workers in Palestine issued a statement critiquing the new positions established by the governor of Hebron in the Bab Al-Zawiya area, indicating that they were the first to start implementing the part related to the transport sector, where vehicles were moved to this location. They noted that it became apparent that the area was not prepared to serve as parking facilities for public vehicles, nor could it accommodate smooth traffic flow that ensures the easy entry and exit of vehicles, and that the parking spaces were not ready to receive internal service lines.

The union added, "After our communication with the relevant authorities regarding preparing the parking areas and organizing traffic, the response was that work is underway on that, and we were asked to be patient for a few days." They clarified that until today, after more than three months, no significant change has occurred in what was pledged, despite holding many meetings and receiving promises to begin implementation. 

They continued, "Despite the intervention of the honorable governor and our brothers in the security apparatus, especially the brothers in the preventive security service – to whom we are grateful – and their support for our legitimate demands, Hebron Municipality still procrastinates and refuses to assume its responsibilities regarding the aforementioned."

The General Union of Transport Workers announced an escalatory program that it said it did not wish to reach, but what they described as "the lack of cooperation from Hebron Municipality and its irresponsible dealings" put them in the position of having to defend drivers and workers in the sector, calling for a protest on Sunday: 12/28/2025, in front of the Hebron Municipality from 7:00 to 9:00 AM, on Tuesday: 12/30/2025, a full-day protest in front of the Hebron Municipality, and on Thursday: 01/01/2026 a complete strike across Hebron Governorate for all means of transport. The statement indicated that starting from the following Sunday: 01/04/2026, an escalation program would include all governorates of the homeland and encompass all demands of the transport sector.

The General Union of Transport Workers in Palestine estimated the number of workers in this sector at about 13,000 workers operating service and private travel vehicles.