Yemeni trade unions condemns Saudi aggression’s targeting of economic facilities, civilian infrastructure

The General Federation of Yemeni Trade Unions has condemned, in the strongest possible terms, the Saudi-led aggression’s airstrikes targeting Yemen Petroleum Company facilities in Dhamar governorate and Bajil district of Hodeida governorate.

The attacks also struck the Ras Issa port terminal—while a commercial vessel was docked there—as well as the Chemico Paints and Chemicals factory and the Al-Qudsi footwear factory in Taiz governorate.

In a statement ,the Federation denounced the repeated targeting of the cement factory south of Hamdan by the Saudi-led coalition.

The Federation described these actions as a blatant, deliberate attempt to strike service facilities and civilian infrastructure, inflict damage on the national economy, and cause the death and injury of workers at these sites.

The Federation characterized these assaults on vital facilities as an extension of a systematic policy of blockade and starvation, aimed at undermining the livelihoods and essential survival requirements of the Yemeni people.

The statement emphasized that these recurring attacks by the Saudi-led coalition reflect a deliberate intent to damage economic infrastructure and vital supply chains. By disrupting the flow of fuel and essential goods, these actions exacerbate the humanitarian burdens faced by the Yemeni people, threatening the food security, health, and basic living conditions of millions of citizens, and further intensifying the humanitarian crisis.

It was noted that the destruction of facilities, factories, and various economic and productive sectors in Yemen constitutes a catastrophe for the lives of workers and millions of citizens whose livelihoods depend directly upon them. The most significant impacts and risks faced by workers include the loss of income sources and the spread of unemployment.

The General Federation of Workers’ Trade Unions in Yemen explained that the bombardment of factories and vital facilities—such as those in the food and cement industries, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises—has brought operations to a complete standstill. This has resulted in the layoff of thousands of workers and employees, leaving a large segment of the workforce without any income to support their families. Poverty and unemployment rates have surged to unprecedented levels, and many formerly productive and financially independent workers have been forced to rely on aid for survival. This has created immense living hardships, compounded by psychological distress, heightened levels of stress and anxiety, and the erosion of many social and familial bonds due to overwhelming financial burdens.

It was further emphasized that the targeting of industrial and economic facilities has not been limited to direct material losses for capital owners; rather, it has dealt a severe blow to the Yemeni workforce, pushing a vast segment of productive individuals into a cycle of poverty and unemployment.

The Union holds the Saudi enemy fully responsible—both humanely and legally—for the repercussions of these attacks. It calls upon the United Nations, human rights and humanitarian organizations, labor unions, trade union bodies, and the international community to condemn these crimes, take urgent action to protect civilian and economic facilities as well as Yemeni ports, and work toward the unconditional lifting of the blockade imposed on the Yemeni people.