Retired Soldiers Protest on Tuesday ... Threaten to Escalate

The movement of retired soldiers has called on "all military personnel and public sector retired associations in various regions to gather and rally next Tuesday in Riad Al-Solh Square starting at 2 PM, to confront by all means any decision that does not guarantee the restoration of salaries to their real purchasing value as it was before October 17, 2019." In a statement, they threatened to escalate their actions if their demands were not met, stating: "Once again, the government is maneuvering regarding the issue of wage increases for public sector employees and retirees, leading us back to square one on its agenda for the upcoming Tuesday session, by insisting on using the term 'productivity allowance' for service employees instead of the correct and legal term 'cost of living compensation', and not clearly and explicitly addressing the rights of retirees as stipulated by the applicable laws." The movement pointed out that "it has expressed its rejection more than once of the drafts prepared by the Ministry of Finance, as they represent a shameless circumvention of retirees' rights, but the government is once again adopting them as indicated in the agenda, disregarding the cries of tens of thousands of retirees, both military and civilian, who have fallen below the poverty line and have nothing left to lose."