Mass layoffs at Homs Hospital trigger accusations of sectarian bias

According to sources, the decision carries a clear sectarian bias, revealing the weakness of labor protection institutions and their disregard for the deteriorating living conditions of workers.

The mass dismissal included both medical and administrative staff—most of whom, according to the workers, belonged to the Alawite community. Many of those dismissed were graduates of nursing and health institutes who had been working since 2011 under daily contracts that later became annual by 2017.

Despite months of unpaid work and repeated promises of reinstatement after renovation work at the hospital, the employees were shocked to learn that the conclusion of the renovations coincided with their final termination.

According to the staff, the decision was imposed by officials from the political council of Homs, appointed by the interim government, and carried out through the General Federation of Workers in Damascus, which ended the contracts without attempting to find alternatives such as reassigning staff or offering new positions.

The dismissed employees expressed frustration, saying that the very body meant to protect workers’ rights had instead become an instrument to end their employment.

Sources close to the hospital said the move had a blatantly discriminatory nature, as most of those dismissed were Alawites, while a very small number of Sunni employees remained. This act, some said, reflected a growing pattern of sectarian discrimination within certain state institutions, provoking anger among the affected workers and the local community.

Efforts by the dismissed staff to appeal through the Homs Labor Union were met with disappointing and ineffective responses. No serious attempt was made to address their complaints or their worsening economic situation, leaving them and their families facing severe financial hardship after losing their main source of income.

One of the dismissed workers said: “For years we worked hard to rebuild this hospital after the damage it suffered. Is this how we are rewarded—by being deprived of our livelihood? Families who gave their all to revive a vital public institution are now left hungry, while the labor federation stands silent instead of defending us.”

The incident at the Workers’ Hospital does not only shed light on the personal suffering of the dismissed employees, but also reveals deeper structural problems—namely, the intersection of economic decisions with sectarian practices and the weakness of the institutional framework that is supposed to protect workers’ rights and defend their legitimate demands.

The Workers’ Hospital, a public medical facility established in 1985, includes departments of emergency, radiology, echography, CT scans, dialysis, incubators, endoscopy, laboratory testing, intensive care, surgery, and functional and auditory examinations, in addition to a newly built specialized outpatient clinic building.

a.k

ANHA