US govt shutdown forces some overseas bases to stop paying workers
Madrid (AP): The longest US government shutdown on record is doing more than grind activities to a halt at home; an ocean away in Europe, local workers at US military bases have started to feel the pain.
Thousands of people working at overseas bases in Europe have had their salaries interrupted since the shutdown began almost six weeks ago. In some cases, governments hosting the US bases have stepped in to foot the bill, expecting the United States to eventually make good. In others, including in Italy and Portugal, people have simply kept working unpaid as the gridlock in Washington drags on.
“It's an absurd situation because nobody has responses, nobody feels responsible,” said Angelo Zaccaria, a union coordinator at the Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy.
“This is having dramatic effects on us Italian workers,” he told The Associated Press.
An array of needed jobs
The jobs foreign nationals do at US bases around the world range from food service, construction, logistics, maintenance and other, more specialized roles. In some cases, foreign workers are employed by private companies contracted by the US government while others are direct hires.
How local employees are paid varies by country and is based on specific agreements the US government has with each host nation, said Amber Kelly-Herard, a public affairs spokesperson for the US Air Forces in Europe and Africa.
During the shutdown, Kelly-Herard said local employees were expected to continue to perform their jobs in accordance with their work contracts.
The AP reached out to the Pentagon with multiple questions on the pay disruption, but was only provided a brief statement that did not acknowledge it.
“We value the important contributions of our local national employees around the world,” it said. The official declined to answer any follow-up questions.
American bases feeling the pinch overseas
In Germany, the government has stepped in to pay the salaries of nearly 11,000 local employees that work on US military bases, the nation's finance ministry said in a statement. American facilities in Germany include the Ramstein Air Base, a critical hub for operations in the Mideast and Africa and headquarters to the US Air Forces in Europe and Africa.
Workers in other countries have not been so fortunate.
More than 4,600 Italian nationals work at the five US bases in Italy, said union coordinator Zaccaria. Of those, about 2,000 workers — mostly at bases in Aviano and Vicenza — were not paid in October, Italy's foreign ministry said Saturday.
The ministry said in a statement it had discussed the issue with US officials, and that the US Army and Air Force were in talks with the Pentagon about using their own funds to pay the salaries of Italian workers.
“There are workers struggling to pay their mortgages, to support their children or even to pay the fuel to come to work,” Zaccaria said.
In Portugal, a similar situation was playing out at the Lajes Field base in the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, where more than 360 Portuguese workers have not been paid, according to Paula Terra, head of the Lajes base workers' committee.
Terra said unpaid staff are still turning up because furloughs aren't legally recognized in a US-Portugal agreement on the base. Staying away could leave them open to disciplinary proceedings, she added.
But this week, the Azores Islands regional government approved a bank loan to pay the Portuguese workers at the base in the interim. Terra said she was waiting to hear when workers could claim the money.
Germany is counting on being repaid once the shutdown ends, the finance ministry's spokesperson told the AP, adding that during previous shutdowns, civilians were paid by the US government.
The governments of Poland, Lithuania and Greenland did not respond to a request for comment from the AP about whether they, too, have also stepped in to pay local workers.
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What is Iran’s 10-point plan? Key demands ahead of US talks in Islamabad
Tehran/Islamabad: Iran has outlined a 10-point plan as the basis for upcoming talks with the United States, expected to begin in Islamabad on April 11, according to a statement from the Iranian Supreme National Security Council.
The plan lays out Tehran’s key political, military and economic demands, and is being seen as a framework for negotiations following the recent escalation in the region.
Strait of Hormuz at the centre
A major focus of the plan is the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route. Iran has proposed “controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the Iranian armed forces,” which it says would give the country a unique economic and geopolitical position.
The plan also calls for the “establishment of a safe transit protocol” in the Strait that would guarantee Iran’s dominance under an agreed mechanism.
Call to end conflict
Iran has demanded “the necessity of ending the war against all elements of the axis of resistance,” signalling its expectation that hostilities should stop not only in Iran but also involving allied groups in the region.
US troop withdrawal
Another key demand is the “withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases and deployment points in the region,” indicating Tehran’s long-standing position against American military presence in West Asia.
Sanctions relief and compensation
The plan places strong emphasis on economic measures. It calls for “full payment of Iran’s damages according to estimates,” along with “the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions and resolutions of the Board of Governors and the Security Council.”
It also seeks “the release of all Iranian assets and properties frozen abroad,” which have been a major point of contention for years.
Binding global guarantee
Finally, Iran has demanded that all these terms be formally recognised through “a binding Security Council resolution,” suggesting it wants international legal backing to ensure enforcement.
What this means
The 10-point plan reflects Iran’s broader push for security guarantees, economic relief and regional influence. The upcoming talks in Islamabad are expected to test how far both sides are willing to negotiate on these demands.
