For more than a year, public administrations in Lebanon have been suffering from a severe shortage of equipment and supplies amid the ongoing financial and economic crisis that has plagued the country for over two years. When the protests began on October 17, 2019, many were unaware of the deterioration within state institutions. However, matters quickly unveiled themselves, and what was previously unthinkable became an unavoidable reality. Almost all state administrations have been affected by the events since late 2019, directly impacting public sector employees who have begun looking for ways to escape their circumstances. Many are either trying to survive with the minimal resources available—working fewer hours and exhibiting almost no performance in some departments—or actively searching for alternatives.
Rita, a transaction processor in the real estate registry, states, "A transaction that used to take one day to complete now takes ten days, if not more. There are no papers, no stamps, no mail. Even employees today are asking for more in exchange for their work, saying that everything has become exorbitantly priced, so a transaction that previously required 200,000 Lebanese pounds to be ready in two days now takes half a month or a month for the equivalent of one million pounds."
State institutions are unable to provide many necessary supplies for their departments, especially regarding stationery and paper. Furthermore, it is impossible to secure maintenance for offices, generators, and vehicles used in ministries, all because service providers refuse to deal with anything related to the state, as they only accept payment in Lebanese pounds. The argument is that they pay in dollars, but in reality, state departments lack paper. For instance, anyone wanting to obtain a new civil status certificate goes to the civil affairs department only to discover that there are no papers or ink to complete the procedure. Consequently, the decision was made to use old "civil status certificates" to enable transactions without needing new ones. This situation applies to all administrative transactions across all departments.
This atmosphere reflects upon employees in this sector, regardless of their category. Said (a pseudonym) is a second-category employee at the Ministry of Energy who refused to disclose his name, as he is not authorized to speak to the media: "All institutions that provide us with the essential office supplies are not dealing with us these days. They say they pay in dollars and can’t accept payments in pounds, especially as payment is delayed for two months due to official transactions, during which time the dollar value may double." He continues: "Today, a second or third-category employee's salary reaches, at best, 3.5 million pounds. This is not enough for five days if we simply calculate that the electricity generator subscription costs one million pounds and a canister of gasoline is nearly 100,000."
"The working hours in the Ministry of Energy today start at eight in the morning and last until eleven," Said explains. "Why? Because the generators supplying the ministry with power only run for three hours, after which there is no electricity. Thus, the working hours have been reduced to three hours daily, not to mention the rotation system that began due to COVID-19 and continues to this day." The Lebanese government decided, due to the global circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, to implement a rotation system to minimize contact in ministries and public institutions to adhere to social distancing and curb virus transmission. However, this system is still in effect today, although COVID-19 is no longer the direct cause; rather, it is the economic crisis.
Are there any solutions, and what do employees hope for? Said responds: "Today, I struggle to reach my workplace. There is no fuel, and if available, it has become extremely expensive. Medical care is no longer accessible, and cooperatives do not cover expenses as hospitals have ceased to cooperate with them. The school coverage that was worth two million pounds is no longer of value. I’m looking for work outside the public sector, either in Lebanon or abroad. I want to leave by any means."
A decision was issued by the Lebanese state included in the 2019 budget that prevents public employees from resigning. If they do resign, it means they forfeit their compensation and retirement salary. This decision remains in effect until 2022, meaning that requests for end-of-service benefits have been completely frozen. Hadi Zalzali, the head of the Basic Education Department in the Ministry of Education, states: "The circumstances are tough. Tenders have stopped, and no one is willing to deal with state institutions. There are no credits being opened, even though everything requires maintenance, and at the same time, there is no maintenance."
He adds in a statement to "Al-Hurra": "Many public sector employees are seeking work. Some have requested special leaves and unpaid leaves, in addition to many requests for leave that have increased recently, as most employees are traveling to stay with relatives for several months in an attempt to find work. Some have actually found job opportunities and have left." This exodus will cause a significant shortage in public administrations. Zalzali notes, "If we take the Ministry of Education as an example, since the approval of the salary scale, hiring in the public sector has stopped, so anyone who has retired today has not had a replacement assigned, resulting in a significant deficit compounded by the challenges employees face. All this greatly impacts the sector and those working in it, especially as we finish the rotation system and return to the school year."
Official institutions are tight-lipped about the actual number of those who have left the public sector, with instances of absenteeism being recorded without any disciplinary action being taken against violators. Ihab, an officer in the security forces, says, "Since the crisis began, adherence has decreased, and there must be clear understanding from the officials regarding this matter." He mentions, "Every day, there are communications arriving at the center stating that they should not pressure the soldiers too much; just ask for the bare minimum to allow work to continue."
Alaa Abbas, the former director-general of the Ministry of Economy, stated in an interview with "Al-Hurra": "Today, in public administrations, there are no working hours, and the rotation persists due to COVID-19 and then the economic situation. Salaries have become worthless when compared to the skyrocketing cost of living. The employees' psychological condition is at its worst. Certainly, things are not well, and there is no glimmer of hope that anything will change." She adds, "Today, if I want to complete a transaction, it takes no less than a month. Here, I'm speaking about myself, and I know the ministries and how they operate, but what about the average employee? What can they do in this situation, how can they manage their affairs?"
Abbas recounts her experience in the Ministry of Economy, automation, archiving, and guidance, explaining all that they accomplished there, but "today all this effort has gone to waste due to the crisis." "Public administrations needed reform even before the crisis. Today, everything has collapsed. Everything," Abbas concludes.
