The President of the General Labor Union, Bishara Asmar, confirmed that he requested the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to issue the cost of living decrees signed by the Minister of Labor during a cabinet meeting at the nearest possible opportunity. After meeting with Mikati at the government palace, he added, "This session is supposed to also decide on the draft decree regarding transport, school grants, and family allowances allocated for the private sector. Based on this decision and the publication of these decrees in the official gazette, an immediate meeting of the index committee will take place. Today, we began preliminary meetings with the economic sectors and the head of the Economic Bodies, Mohammad Choukair, to prepare for a new wage increase."
Asmar stated, "Regarding the public sector, we demand that productivity includes all public sector titles and anyone who receives money from the state. We requested that social security, the National Broadcasting Network (Television Lebanon), Ogero, independent institutions, public institutions, municipalities, the municipal unions, government hospitals, and the Lebanese University be included. We repeat and insist on every public sector title." He added, "We also requested that the two monthly salaries be included under the social assistance title and that they be incorporated into the salary, and that the issue of providing five liters of gasoline daily for public sector employees be implemented at the earliest opportunity. Additionally, we advocate for productivity, transportation allowances, and for two months to be integrated into the salary so that everyone can receive a fair compensation—or at least a minimum compensation at this stage, as public sector employees are still receiving compensation at the rate of 1500 Lebanese pounds."
He continued, "We also focused on the issue of retired military and civilian personnel, who have all become impoverished. A draft law or decree must be put in place to study the situation of retirees in the public or private sector. Of course, we seek to convert compensation into pensions in the private sector, but in the public sector, the compensation remains at the value of 1500 Lebanese pounds." Additionally, he mentioned that the transportation allowance for military personnel is agreed to be doubled from 1,800,000 Lebanese pounds, and this decree is currently under consideration by the cabinet.
Regarding raising the customs dollar to 45,000 pounds, the union rejected it and agreed with the Prime Minister that there should be a meeting with the Minister of Finance to re-evaluate customs tariffs. On the topic of pricing in dollars, Asmar stated, "The days have shown a complete failure of this decision in placing additional burdens on citizens. There have also been significant violations in pricing based on a rise in prices in dollars whenever the dollar experiences any drop. There is a considerable spike in prices, which is increasing as Ramadan approaches."
The discussions with the Prime Minister also addressed expediting court proceedings in investment institutions, the size of establishments in the north, real estate departments, and the traffic management department, as it is unacceptable for these institutions to remain closed since they are vital to the state and provide significant income.
In response to a question, he said, "The state is looking for revenues, but we do not accept that it be at the expense of 90 percent of the population. Thus, we discussed the customs dollar and pricing in dollars, stating that there should be a reduction in taxes and fees during this difficult phase. However, what we see on the ground is an increase in taxes and fees, and the 'Sayrafa' exchange rate has reached 70,000, leading to a loss of about 56 percent of the employees' income. All these decisions are insufficiently studied and require reconsideration, especially with the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Central Bank."
The caretaker Prime Minister chaired an extensive meeting dedicated to the transportation sector, including the Ministers of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh, Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi, Communications Johnny Karam, Economy and Trade Amin Salam, and Tourism Walid Nassar, in addition to unions and transport associations concerned with the sector.
The meeting addressed "a fundamental pain in the country for a vital sector, namely transportation, which suffers along with other sectors. The unions and associations had numerous demands concerning several ministries, including Public Works and Transport, Tourism, Interior and Municipalities, Economy, and Communications, with most topics centered on key measures regarding transportation violations and vehicles taking work from public drivers without legal grounds. This issue was discussed with the Minister of Interior, who committed to addressing the violations one by one to restore the work taken from public drivers, as they are the rightful owners, especially concerning illegal transportation," according to the Minister of Economy Amin Salam.
He confirmed that "the Minister of Transport was clear that there are applications agreed upon with the Ministry of Transport to transfer all operations to public transport vehicles, preventing work from being sent to vehicles outside of the public category. The Minister of Transport has committed to addressing the Ministry of Communications to stop the platforms that violate law and undermine public taxis’ work."
Regarding tariffs, Minister of Economy Amin Salam disclosed, "The Prime Minister promised to follow up the matter with the Minister of Public Works, to study this significant request from the unions and associations." Salam expressed regret over the tariff issue, "which is undergoing the same labor pains we experienced as ministers and is affected by the dollar exchange rate, which remains unstable today." He added, "We hope the situation clarifies so we can protect this sector just as we try to protect other sectors struggling with how to price and purchase spare parts and introduce cars into garages, as most of these issues are priced and paid in dollars."
Salam addressed the role of the Ministry of Economy, "which promised the sector that it would launch a serious campaign focusing on its importance and the significance of spare parts shops that sell at arbitrary prices, particularly large stores. We will conduct intensive rounds to protect public drivers from fluctuations in spare parts prices, and we requested the unions and associations to send notifications to the Ministry of Economy regarding major violators harming this sector. There are large traders who exploit this sector and manipulate the dollar price while taking advantage of drivers searching for their daily bread. We will report the violators and pursue them while conducting rounds to address this issue."
The Prime Minister also discussed with the EU Ambassador Ralph Tarraf areas of joint work concerning security files, Syrian refugees, economic opportunities, in addition to upcoming topics such as the election of a president and the reform program with the International Monetary Fund necessary for the country.
Regarding the economic deterioration and the suffering of Lebanese citizens, Tarraf announced after the meeting that "there is a shared understanding that we are here for support, but all measures and actions must be taken by Lebanese decision-makers."
