Mayyun Statement: Halted Salaries, Diminished Wages, and Forgotten Rights Amid Yemen’s Protracted Conflict

Human Rights Statement on the Occasion of International Workers’ Day

On the occasion of International Workers’ Day, Mayyun Human Rights Organization expresses its deep concern over the grave and ongoing violations of the economic and social rights of public sector employees in Yemen, amid a protracted armed conflict and institutional division that has led to the collapse of the social justice system and the erosion of the principles of equality and non-discrimination.

In areas under the control of the Houthi group, public sector employees have been compelled to continue performing their duties without any financial compensation since 2016, due to a systematic suspension of salary disbursement, despite the group’s continued collection of public revenues. A large number of employees are subjected to coercive threats and punitive measures if they refuse to work, which constitutes a form of forced labor prohibited under international law and amounts to human trafficking under international human rights and humanitarian law.

Moreover, the Houthi group has dismissed thousands of employees based on their geographic or political affiliations and adopted an unlawful appointment policy that bypasses the national civil service system. This fosters discriminatory practices that contravene Yemen’s international obligations, particularly the ILO Convention No. 111 concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation.

In areas controlled by the internationally recognized Yemeni government, although salaries are partially paid, the severe depreciation of the national currency has drastically eroded the real value of wages. The average monthly salary does not exceed the equivalent of 30 USD—an amount insufficient to meet even the minimum requirements for a decent standard of living. This reflects a failure to uphold obligations under ILO Convention No. 131 concerning Minimum Wage Fixing, which Yemen ratified on January 30, 1976.

Furthermore, in September 2024, the government ceased salary payments to thousands of internally displaced public sector workers, who were forcibly displaced from conflict areas. This measure exacerbates their suffering and constitutes a violation of their fundamental rights to social security and non-discrimination, as well as a breach of the ILO Protection of Wages Convention, ratified by Yemen on April 14, 1969.

In light of these conditions, Mayyun Human Rights Organization affirms that the rights to decent work, social security, and a dignified life are non-derogable, even in times of armed conflict. The organization calls for the following:

Recommendations:

1. Immediate cessation of forced labor practices in Houthi-controlled areas, resumption of salary payments, and ensuring legal accountability for violations amounting to human trafficking.
2. Depoliticization of the salary issue and treating it as a humanitarian priority requiring urgent and comprehensive solutions.
3. Unconditional resumption of salary payments to displaced public employees, provision of legal and social protection, and equitable reintegration into state institutions.
4. A call upon United Nations agencies and international humanitarian organizations to fulfill their responsibilities under international humanitarian law by protecting vulnerable groups and including public employees in their relief interventions, particularly food security and direct cash assistance programs.
5. Reactivation of a merit-based, transparent civil service system; halting of unlawful appointments that violate the principle of equal opportunity; and immediate disbursement of annual allowances for all state employees, suspended since 2014, without discrimination.
6. A call upon the public, private, and mixed sectors to raise wages and salaries in line with the rising cost of living.
7. Guarantee of trade union freedoms and empowerment of unions and labor federations to carry out their role in defending workers’ rights and enhancing social protection, in accordance with ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, ratified by Yemen on July 29, 1976. The organization stresses the necessity of restoring the active role of labor unions in advocating for workers’ legitimate rights and amplifying their voices, especially in light of the political actors’ abandonment of their responsibilities, considering free trade unionism as an integral part of the human rights framework and a cornerstone of social justice and human dignity.

Issued by:
Mayyun Human Rights Organization
Aden, Yemen
May 1, 2025