Predominantly Alawite: Syria sacks 600 public workers
Shafaq News – Damascus
Around 600 public-sector employees, most from the Alawite community, lost their jobs in Syria since early October, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday.
According to the UK-based monitoring group, all workers at water pumping stations in Tartus province were removed, triggering a near-total halt in water supplies to several villages, including Khirbet al-Maazzeh, Mneiyeh, Yahmour, Zarqat, Zeitouneh, al-Kashfeh, and Ras al-Khashoufeh.
Ongoing dismissal decisions | 600 employees dismissed in the Syrian coast areas#SOHRhttps://t.co/aXhLuAHyT6
— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) October 12, 2025
The Observatory additionally highlighted that 256 employees from the state Construction Corporation in Tartus lost their positions, while in Latakia province, the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment terminated 78 municipal employees, mostly Alawites.
Dismissals were also documented in the electricity and telecommunications sectors, though the total number of affected employees remains unclear. The moves sparked anger and protests among workers, who condemned them as unfair, disregarding years of service and worsening economic conditions.
Earlier this year, sectarian violence resulted in mass killings in Alawite-populated areas, leaving nearly 1,500 people dead and dozens missing. Amnesty International accused government-affiliated “militias” of deliberately targeting civilians from the Alawite minority.
The Alawite community, an offshoot of Shia Islam, comprises an estimated 10% to 12% of Syria’s population. Most live along the coast in Latakia and Tartus, historically considered a stronghold of then-President Bashar al-Assad.
