An administrative decision dated 31 December 2025 was issued by the Temporary Authority in Syria, stipulating the collective dismissal of approximately 400 employees from the construction and development sector in Homs Governorate in western Syria, the majority of whom are from the Alawite sect, under the pretext of “lack of need.”
The decision was issued without announcing clear reasons or declared legal criteria, and without granting those dismissed any financial compensation for their years of service, despite the long duration of service of many of them. The decision sparked widespread discontent and concern among those affected, amid what was considered economic pressure targeting a specific segment of workers.
This decision comes within a series of similar administrative measures issued concurrently and affecting other Syrian institutions and regions. In Damascus, the termination of the services of 86 male and female workers at the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission—a scientific institution established in 1976—was reported, without announcing the reasons for the decision or its criteria. It was noted that a large number of those dismissed had spent many years in service, and that the majority of those affected belong to the Alawite sect.
Additionally, 40 employees working under permanent contracts at the state-owned newspaper Al-Wahda in Damascus were dismissed, all of them from the Alawite sect, without being granted end-of-service compensation, despite having been duly appointed through official competitions and despite some having served for more than 15 years.
In Tartous Governorate, the forced transfer of more than 150 female teachers at the Tel Kalakh Educational Complex was reported, to schools located in the far eastern areas of Homs Governorate, with a deadline not exceeding 72 hours to report to their new workplaces. This constituted significant pressure that led a number of them to consider submitting their resignations.
These incidents fall within a broader context of tensions and violations that the Syrian coastal regions witnessed during the previous period. On 28 December 2025, peaceful demonstrations took place in several cities and areas, including Latakia, Jableh, Qardaha, Baniyas, and Tartous, in which civilians from the Alawite sect participated in protest against what they described as escalating violations, including arrest, kidnapping, killing, and dismissal from jobs.
In a related context, the coastal region had witnessed on 9 October 2025 a campaign of collective dismissals at the General Company for Spinning and Weaving in the cities of Latakia and Jableh, which included the dismissal of 234 male and female workers, the majority of whom were from the Alawite sect. This was followed by the dismissal of another 49 workers the following day, raising the number of dismissed workers to 283 within 48 hours.
Taken together, these data indicate a recurring pattern of administrative decisions targeting specific categories of employees and workers, in the absence of transparency and declared legal criteria, and amid escalating tensions and sectarian discrimination, including dismissal from work and forced transfer, along with the severe economic and social repercussions for those affected and their families.
