Aoun Skeptical of Joint Committees Decision on EDL Contract Employees
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun slammed on Friday the joint parliamentary committees’ approval of the employment of qualified candidates who are currently contract workers at Electricite du Liban.
He told As Safir newspaper the draft law that was proposed by Energy Minister Jebran Bassil, who is Aoun’s son-in-law, was an accurate interpretation of a law previously approved by the parliament.
Bassil proposed to allow 700 contract workers to stand for an official exam, out of some 2,500 employees, while the rest would become employees at private companies under a three-month probation period.
On Thursday, the parliamentary joint committees approved a draft law allowing EDL contract workers to sit for an exam that would allow them to become full-time employees.
Aoun said that “this kind of work can’t go on.”
“We will not allow this issue to pass,” he added.
The joint committees’ decision created sharp differences among the March 8 forces as Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc MPs withdrew from the session in protest against the draft law.
On Thursday, Bassil lashed out at his allies the MPs of AMAL and Hizbullah, demanding them to clarify their stance at the committee as they had endorsed his proposal several times in the cabinet.
He warned that institutions are being undermined “because the needs of state institutes are not being taken into consideration.”
“We would be uprooting the whole principle of civil service if we decided to hire 2,500 employees -- the equivalent of one third of current state employees,” Bassil cautioned.
“The draft law proposed today (Thursday) is telling citizens that those who are followers of certain leaders will have the privilege of being employed in state institutions after protesting and blocking roads,” he added.
15 June 2012, 10:21
15
nice to see m8 at each other's throat once more: they do a good job with this cabinet :)
15 June 2012, 10:38
17
I am so sick of this incapable person. He's only good at criticizing, attacking, insulting, lying, threatening...
It is never Aoun's fault, Aoun is always the victim, Aoun is the more competent, and Aoun is the best! This farce cannot hide his incompetence anymore. This person and Michel Sleiman are military, not politicians. There is nothing sharp about him, no talent, no political competence. We are all the victims of his personal ambition and of his delusions of grandeur...I'm fed up with this person!
15 June 2012, 13:12
12
Best answer is still to privatize the electricity sector, but that won't happen because the politicians are too greedy manipulating the workers and people. If the workers go on strike, it is with a private company, not the government and people of this country.
15 June 2012, 16:04
12
such a tiny country as lebanon incapable of brining basic needs such as electricity shows how useless, worthless and irresponsible the politicians are! and people still praise them and support them?
lebanese therfore deserve the country they have and should stop complaining!
15 June 2012, 19:27
00
As much as I dislike Aoun in this case he has a point, hiring all these workers is utter stupidity considering edl loses billions of dollars each year and these workers won't do anything to change or improve that. It's only adding an extra burden to the already over stretched budget. The plan that bassil proposed is actually a much more efficient and fair plan. That being said Aoun is crazy and unfortunately even when one of his ministers proposes a good piece of legisilation people will tend to shoot it down because they hate him so much.
17 June 2012, 11:32
00
The condition of general to start reform is that no single 1 oppose him.
