Report: Asmar Says Time for 'Wage Growth in Private Sector'

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Head of Lebanon's General Labor Union Beshara al-Asmar said that practical consultations have begun to raise the minimum wage level in the private sector after the latest tax hikes that were initially approved to fund the wage scale for the public sector, al-Joumhouria daily reported Saturday.

“Wage correction in the private sector is supposed to take its way to implementation in order to update the salaries, correct them and raise the minimum wage level,” Asmar told the daily.

Asmar pointed out that the Economic Bodies have always rejected the issue every time it was raised “but today we see some acceptance. Negotiations have begun but they need time. We hope that things will be positive otherwise we will resort to our right and take to the streets,” warned Asmar.

He added that the latest approved tax hikes will affect all Lebanese segments, arguing that “wage increases for the public sector have imposed new taxes which the private sector will be part of. It is unacceptable not to initiate a correction in salaries.”

After long and arduous debates, Lebanese lawmakers have recently approved a long-awaited new wage scale for civil servants and armed forces paralleled with tax hikes laws intended to initially fund the scale.

"As we exercised our right to reach the wage scale, we will resort in the same way to reach our right to correct wages in the private sector,” stressed Asmar.

“The private sector includes about 900 thousand workers, therefore complacency on this subject is a crime. The private sector wages have to be corrected with acceptable rates that will satisfy the workers in the sector,” he emphasized.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 1
Thumb thepatriot 21 October 2017, 20:12

Yes...the private sector is doing so well that wages shoub be increased.... this idiot does not realise that this will resume into more layoffs... poor Lebanon...