Kuwait Central Bank staff hold pay demonstration

Several dozen of Kuwait Central Bank employees held a demonstration on Wednesday, demanding improved employment and financial conditions, the latest in a wave of strikes by government employees in the Gulf Arab state. "Central bank employees suffer from the deterioration of conditions... in the light of a notable increase in prices and services... until we get to a point where we can't bear these burdens," the employees said in a statement distributed to reporters at the demonstration, held after work hours. The employees, protesting outside the central bank building in Kuwait City, said that they would hold another demonstration on October 26, if their demands were not met. Central bank officials could not be reached for comment. On Tuesday, employees of the Kuwait Stock Exchange agreed to give authorities three weeks to meet their demands, delaying a planned strike on Wednesday, which could affect trading on the Arab world's second largest bourse. OPEC-member Kuwait is currently witnessing a wave of strikes by many government employees, after the cabinet approved earlier this month better employment conditions for oil sector workers.