90 Percent Below the Poverty Line: Is Dollarization of Salaries the Solution?

The head of the General Labor Union, Bishara Asmar, indicated that "we are working within the realm of possibility, and there are companies and institutions that provide full or partial salaries in dollars," noting in an interview with "Voice of Lebanon" that "we are working to increase the minimum wage." For his part, George Alam, a member of the union's bureau, stated that the General Labor Union sees that there is no functioning state or institutions, declaring, "this is the reality of the country; there should have been an open strike involving all sectors until a president is elected and a government is formed to re-establish authority." The head of the General Union of Lebanese Workers, Maroun Khoury, pointed out that "the real minimum wage should correspond to rising prices, and there is a crisis of greed and exploitation of the situation," adding, "workers should not be exploited, and salaries should be dollarized with a minimum wage of $200 so that workers can sustain themselves, along with an additional portion in Lebanese currency, as 90 percent of citizens are at risk of poverty." For his part, the vice president of the Industrialists Association, Ziad Bekdash, noted that "the minimum wage of 4.5 million Lira was set when the dollar was at 40,000; therefore, workers should be provided with social assistance to help them continue while waiting for a solution."