It is the first television station in the Arab world, established in 1959, and the channel that presented programs still remembered by Lebanese people today, such as "Al-Dunya Heik - Abu Malhem - Abu Salim and his Band – Shosho..." These programs witnessed a golden era that launched Lebanese and Arab stars. Today, this channel is struggling to survive amid difficult living conditions, prompting employees of Tele Liban to stage a protest this morning at the entrance of the company's building in Beirut, in protest against the deterioration of their situation.
Hanna Bouari, the head of the Tele Liban employees' union, pointed out that government policies regarding television have brought employees to this level of anger, indicating that the state has not noticed the employees while drafting decisions aimed at improving the conditions of the public sector. Salaries are still calculated at the exchange rate of 1,500 Lebanese pounds to the US dollar, ranging from one and a half million to four and a half million pounds, equivalent to 50 dollars at the maximum on the black market exchange rate.
Bachara Asmar, the head of the General Labor Union who participated in the protest, confirmed that Tele Liban employees have not received their basic rights since 2021, such as social assistance and raising the minimum wage. He stated that the only motivation for their persistence in work is their sense of responsibility toward this national institution.
Employees expressed their astonishment at the Cabinet's neglect of their case, as they struggle to enroll their children in schools and face challenges due to a lack of health coverage, while the Cabinet objects to the television's criticism of the Lebanese government. The protesters emphasized that this movement is to sound the alarm about the dangers surrounding the operations of this institution, which is burdened with covering all news in Lebanon. They indicated that if their situation is not addressed by officials, they will resort to escalatory actions to fulfill their demands, without specifying what those actions might entail or whether they would include a work stoppage.
