Strikes to be Staged across Lebanon as Miqati Fails to Reach Deal on Wage Hike

Head of General Labor Confederation Ghassan Ghosn said on Monday that the confederation will stage a strike across Lebanon on December 27 to protest the cabinet wage hike.

According to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3), Ghosn stressed after a meeting for the executive council that the GLC supports the strike set by the Syndicate Coordination Committee on Thursday but won’t participate.

“We support the Syndicate Coordination Committee’s strike but won’t join them,” he stated.

The Syndicate and the GLC failed to unite their stances over the controversial wage boost approved by the cabinet.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Miqati wasn’t able on Sunday to avert the Syndicate decision to go ahead with its strike on Thursday.

The two agreed to meet again on Monday where Miqati’s advisor for administrative affairs will represent him during the meeting, reported the daily.

Last week, the cabinet approved a wage hike other than the decree proposed by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, where minimum wage increased by LL100,000 to LL600,000, salaries under LL1 million by 30% up to a LL200,000 increase, and salaries above LL1 million by a 20% increase up to LL275,000.

The Syndicate sources told An Nahar that the premier was open to their demands, vowing to enter some modifications on the wage hike decree.

However, Miqati’s sources told the daily that “he didn’t promise anything new… he will see what he can do concerning the labor minister’s package that is being examined by a ministerial committee.”

As Safir newspaper reported on Monday that head of Secondary Teachers Associations Hanna Gharib proposed to Miqati during the Syndicate’s meeting that percentages should be cumulative with maintaining the old numbers.

“Miqati didn’t vow to correct the (wage hike) decision or to offer more benefits, however he will submit a memorandum of the Syndicate demands to the cabinet in order to discuss it,” he said.

Nehme Mahfoud, who heads the private schools teachers association, told the daily that the cabinet’s decision contradicts two main principles, the first not to reduce the previous cabinet proposal on wage boost numbers, and second approving a proposal that wouldn’t be accepted by the Shura council.

The Shura Council turned down the cabinet’s proposal in October to raise the minimum wage to LL700,000 and give workers earning less than LL1 million a LL200,000 raise while increasing the wages of employees earning between LL1 million and LL1.8 million a LL300,000 raise.