Thursday, November 24, 2011

‘Solve problems of limited income citizens’



KTUF slams threats to quell unrest


KUWAIT CITY, Nov 23: The Kuwait Trade Union Federation (KTUF) has repeatedly asked the government to address the problems of citizens with limited income but its pleas have fallen on deaf ears, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily quoting KTUF Chairman Fayez Al-Mutairi.
Criticizing State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Ali Al-Rashid for claiming in a television interview that he discussed the issue with the legal experts and the chairperson of the union, Al-Mutairi asserted there is no truth in the minister’s statement.


“We have demanded several times the formation of a committee, consisting of experts from the government and other concerned authorities, to initiate a dialogue on the problems of the Kuwaiti workers with limited income.
We heard nothing from them, except threats and various means of oppression to quell labor unrest,” he explained.
Addressing the minister, Al-Mutairi said, “You provoked the people to take to the streets against you, because you continue to ignore their legitimate demands.
You have widened the gap between the workers due to the approval of unequal pay scales, putting those with limited income at the losing end.”
He then appealed to the government to immediately solve the issue before it is blown out of proportion.


For all those out there who think every Kuwaiti citizen has an oil well in their backyard and millions of dollars read this article. Yes, there are citizens who barely survive due to limited income, inflated prices and having loan payments that take up more than 70% of their salaries. Unfortunately due to this situation some citizens will never get ahead.


It all starts with low salaries and the need to have a car, apartment and furnishings for a family. Easy to take out a loan to cover the costs. The payment takes most of the salary which means one can't afford anything else in the future. Only option is to re-do the loan and take out more for a longer period of time. Then you die owing the money and your children inherit your problems.


Another scenario is when a father/mother asks their unmarried sons/daughters to take out loans for them. Of course a child will not tell their elder "no" which means this citizen already has a loan at 19 and when they get married they re-do their loan and get deeper in debt. If they cannot make the payments they are blacklisted which means they cannot get passports, even for their children, cannot travel and are stuck until they find a way out. Interest is haram yet every bank in Kuwait charges some form if it.


Why doesn't the governement control loans to citizens with interest free payments?

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