Pharmacists in 7 cities strike in defiance of association leadership

From the Jordan Times:
Hundreds of pharmacies outside the capital observed a four-hour work stoppage on Sunday to protest a sales tax on pharmaceuticals, despite calls by the Jordan Pharmacists Association (JPhA) to call off the strike.

“All” pharmacies in Mafraq, Ajloun, Karak and Salt decided to ignore the JPhA council and shut their doors from 8:00am until noon, according to association activists.

Moreover, around 90 per cent of pharmacies in Zarqa, Jerash and Madaba also joined the work stoppage, according to Malik Saad Maaitah, an activist from the JPhA’s Zarqa branch.

On Saturday, JPhA President Taher Shakhshir issued a statement calling on all pharmacies to refrain from closing their doors on the grounds that an agreement with the government over the controversial law was imminent.

But the JPhA council decision did not sit well with the leaders of some JPhA branches, who decided to act on their own, according to Maaitah. ...more