Aoun on Labor Day: Will Protect You from Foreign Labor Competition

President Michel Aoun addressed Lebanese workers on Labor Day assuring them that efforts are underway to protect them from foreign labor competition.

“Efforts are being exerted to protect workers from foreign labor competition,” the Presidency media office quoted the President as saying on Tuesday.

Aoun promised that he would be working on achieving the aspirations and protecting the workers so that their dignity remained intact.

"I will spare no effort to promote the conditions of workers, preserve their rights and protect them from the competition of foreigners, which are negatively affecting the social security," Aoun added.

Shedding the light on skills in crafts and the job opportunities they carry, Aoun “encouraged Lebanese youth to turn to craftsmanship and benefit from it before someone else does,” he said.

He was hinting at the competition from Syrians in the Lebanese working market.

“Transforming the economy into a productive sector promotes development and creates new jobs,” added the President.

Syrian refugees are competing with Lebanese citizens for jobs, access to public services and infrastructure and, in particular, already scarce and fragile natural resources, such as land, water and forests. The situation threatens the country’s delicate sectarian balance, institutional and political stability, and regional peace and security., the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in a report.