I just read on twitter that Kuwait Customs are going on strike tomorrow. I really hope that’s not true, customs already take forever to clear packages and with a strike I’m sure things are going get delayed even longer.
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2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
40 replies on “Kuwait Customs Strike”
Glad you posted this comment and yes I believe in the month of October many government sectors including the customs are going on strike and they all have the same reason of ‘increase Salary’.
I once got a packaged from the US and let me tell you I will never ever in my life-time order anything which has to go through Kuwait Customs at the airport. They are very rude – unprofessional, unethical and utter nonsense.
It took me 1 month of daily coming and going just to get my package just because I needed so many signatures and most of the times the ‘Mudeer’ was either late or left early.
I felt like a prisoner trying to be free. (This applies in most government related tasks) here.
Sorry I am very outspoken which has caused many problems while I am in Kuwait. I’ve visited the police station many times on occasion of being too blunt but hey they gotta let me go right! I’m telling the truth, and you accept it and change it or don’t let it bother you.
In reference to the strikes – It is not the best solution to have your demands met in such a way. I believe people should first internally assess if the management will come to the table and talk to them, heck government sectors don’t even work properly and you want more pay?! lol
Dude that’s not being outspoken everyone constantly says custom is shit to their faces
Lol Well I’ve encountered problems when sayings things even nicely to people who work very improperly and it has caused problem.
At one incident a police officer (which he doesn’t deserves to be called so) pulled me over just because I gave a indicator of going left and suddenly right (I learned this is a bad word in Kuwait) therefore I told him this is a lame reason to stop me and I have better things to do and could you believe he took my license and I followed him to not police station but I’d call shit station where the officers one of them playing PS2 and other with his dirty feet on the desk and I waited 2 hours just for the ‘ZAABET’ to come and them let me go after they made me sign a pledge saying I won’t insult a police again wtf lol
They got me do this three times at different places – I don’t know how they don’t know I’ve been called elsewhere. Guess technology hasn’t arrived yet, eh.
Man that is just more bad news… I have a package at Customs for the past 3 weeks 🙁
I HATE ARAMEX
If I was their boss, I will fire them. Sorry for that but actually you deserve lower income not higher
i second that
Increase salary for what? for the efficient work?
i mean a package takes 2 weeks to clear in 2011…
it would be great if somebody can just explain the reasoning behind this strike…
they are already overpaid…
WooooooW 🙁 These strikes are causing so much of a headache as well as money first it was the court in Riggae and now the customs
Don’t they realize that ok the government may increase their pay but then have the right to increase other things so no one is winning and actually we are at loss (the non-strikers aka expats)
i think they should just punish them for the strikes. government workers are like kids crying for candy
you mean MORE Candy…1
Why doesn’t customs use automation like other modern countries?? Why is everything manual –
it’s true i read it on alwatan
they threaten to stop petrol exportation .
So much for my first online purchase
10/09/2011 Shipment Held in Customs – Awaiting Inspection and Release
10/08/2011 Shipment Held in Customs – Awaiting Inspection and Release
great!
They should fire them all these useless bums. Pay raise for what? What are the qualifications of a customs agent? What skills do they actually have? Nothing! Just barely read and write. A trained monkey can do their job.
+1
ROTFLMAO
HAHAH trained monkey I like that
A strike? I would understand it if they had good reason but the customs here are a bunch of lazy idiots who take forever to clear items and decide to withold items as they please. They barley get there work done yet they want an increase in their salaries? What a bunch of nonsense…
Why get a raise if you try to make people lives a living hell? Why ask for a raise if you can’t even handle a razor to open a package properly and damage a good owned by others. People in customs are imbeciles and don’t deserve to even have a job it doesn’t take a lot of effort to inspect a package and get it released. You know who should go on a strike people who have mailboxes with aramex, clients who are being abused year after year and keep their mouth shut for an intolerable behavior we are weak and can’t even take a stand. Let’s see if aramex can keep their business after going for one full year without profit. They will keep on raising prices year after year as I said before in previous comments regarding aramex and they sure did prove me right. One last thing if they really care about us they would at least send us the letter they received from the customs regarding the new postage cost not just send a msg without any attachments, they take us for fools and in their eyes we are.
wtf I’m supposed to get my letter of acceptance from my university this week guess it’s going to take longer..
Universities send admission letters through email!
I said it before and ill say it again, the biggest mistake the government ever did was creating a law that will not allow government “kuwaiti citizen” employees to be fired. Just to show you how retarded this country has become.
Tolerance towards the citizen is understandable, but too much leniency will only lead to more slacking.
For example:
Same as with a child, if you always give them what they want with no form of punishment for there bad behavior, then they will walk all over YOU!
lol you really need to know about politics in kuwait, u are naive. This law is actually meant to protect the govt.
Thank you for clarifying my point.
He hasn’t clarified anything. He is simply defending criticism which he cannot take (truth which usually is bitter) lol
Everyone thinks they can have a piece of the juicy cake even though they didn’t bring anything to the party to begin with.
Anyone at Customs reading all this. Btw, I was ROTFLMAO reading all the comments.
Will anyone notice a difference?
will they be treated the same as when cleaners go on strike?
The sad part and the worrying part in Kuwait is that no one reacts and no one says anything to those stupid rules…
i mean, did you hear about the new ministry of interior process to check “everything” what f***?
why should packages take more than 3 weeks to clear… for the past 10 years i have only seen things getting worse and worse in the country and this is another clear example…
sorry for the words but there is no better way to put it…
Kuwaiti nationals will always have power over the Kuwaiti government.
A country will always have to take care of their own and their nationals will be the first priority.
So for us expats, there’s nothing else to do but wait cause we really don’t have much power over it.
Anyway, thanks Mark for letting us in on this.
Guess I’ll just expect my imports to arrive 2 weeks late.
The strike is true. Even the U.S. Mail is being held up by this. The soldiers here are not gettting their mail because of Kuwait Customs.
u sure? from what I understood APO bypasses customs.
yep.. no mail for us military.. thanks kuwait customs!! much appreciated.
I am 100% sure. It used to be that APO mail sort of bypassed customs. Then about a month ago, someone new took over that department of customs and made life hell for the APO mail. Now we have to get three different stamps from customs form different places for customs to release the APO mail, to include the U.S. Embassy mail. We have been seeing big delays in our mail service.
I am surprised the Embassy is allowing customs to hold their mail.
will this affect any commercial flights
I think i have a good idea where the EXTRA 1 K.D. is going to go now…
This is crazy. Strike to continue on 11th. I have a shipment being held for over ten days due to B.S paper work requirements and now this. I guess might as well go on a long weekend. I heard there are some good deals at GITEX!!!
I am currently in boston for university while my girlfriend is still in kuwait for her senior year of high school. I decided to send her a box of hoodies and shirts that say “Boston University” on them. GO TERRIERS!!! I sent them on September 8. It is October 12 and the package has still not arrived. Im going crazy right now because im dying for her to get it!