In its latest session, the government decided to raise the minimum wage for the private sector to 18 million Lebanese pounds, with an additional 9 million pounds for transportation allowances, meaning that the minimum wage will become around 300 US dollars. However, this increase does not consider municipal workers and day laborers who work in dire conditions and face a challenging living reality. Every time the government raises wages, this group of workers, who form the backbone of municipalities, is excluded; without them, municipal operations would cease. In contrast, a municipal employee receives a scholarship estimated at 120 million pounds for each child, a university grant estimated at 400 million pounds, and a medical bill reaching up to 30 million pounds monthly, in addition to transportation, fuel allowances, and other support, leading their salary to about 80 million pounds in many municipalities. Many other municipalities, however, struggle to pay salaries due to empty funds. The government has not increased municipal revenues, continuing to collect them at the fixed rate of 1,500 pounds, which places them in further financial deficit while the budget has frozen all increases concerning municipal transactions pending a ruling on appeals.
Currently, municipalities are not envied for their financial state, as their revenues solely go to permanent employees, while day laborers face a real crisis. Development services are halted, and the salaries of day laborers are negligible, presenting a dangerous dilemma; how will municipalities withstand this crisis? Is the government pushing them towards "suffocation"?
Bshara Al-Asmar, the President of the General Labor Union, highlighted the tragic situation of both municipalities and day laborers in his statements to "Nidaa Al-Watan". He noted that the labor union was among the first to advocate for wage increases in the public sector, expanding the definition to include municipalities, municipal unions, hospitals, etc., now no longer limited to just public administrations. On this basis, the increase, incentives, and transportation allowance came, covering all workers in this sector, including day laborers and municipal workers. He stated that day laborers benefitting from public funds should fall under the general system applicable to any employee and have the right to the incentives, increases, and transportation allowances afforded to them.
He expressed regret that some individuals create excuses and obstacles to prevent the implementation of these decrees to evade their obligations to pay rights. He did not conceal the fact that in this country, all decrees and laws remain as ink on paper and do not find their way to execution. He added that municipalities are experiencing a form of "clinical death" due to a lack of revenue, which hinders the payment of dues to employees and workers.
In light of this reality, Al-Asmar calls for a broad movement toward the Minister of Interior and Municipalities and the government to secure advances for the struggling municipalities. He assured that there will be a substantial movement after Eid al-Fitr concerning the reality of municipalities in Lebanon, emphasizing that we face a significant dilemma in the municipal file that requires a quick solution; they perform all state duties but do not receive state support, leading them toward a path of death unless funds and advances are transferred to them.
The inability of municipalities to pay workers' and employees' dues might have driven the workers and employees of Nabatieh Municipality to enter a warning strike for a week, demanding their basic rights, equal treatment with public sector employees, as well as the transfer of municipal funds to enable them to pay salaries, and the enactment of a financial stamp for municipalities and amendments to the municipal law. The number of municipal workers and employees in Lebanon is estimated at about 30,000. Municipalities in Baalbek may be the first to adopt a service purchase system by attaching workers to a service contractor to improve labor wages. Meanwhile, employees of Nabatieh Municipality announced a strike and are working on forming a pressure lobby to secure their rights, according to what Mazen Nahle, the head of the labor syndicate for Nabatieh Municipality workers, stated. He affirmed that one of their primary demands today is equality with the public sector, revealing that they are preparing for escalatory actions after Eid al-Fitr if their demands are not addressed. They may include the waste collection issue, which was excluded from the strike, in their legitimate demands and approach local deputies to raise their requests. Promises have been made to raise these demands to the Parliament to pass relevant laws, but they know the legislative process takes a long time. Among the demands they raised, according to Nahle, is the amendment of municipal fees to boost treasury revenues to ensure the payment of salaries and provide services to the people, enactment of a municipal stamp, and payment of municipal dues. Without these, it will be difficult to secure their rights or maintain the functionality of municipalities.
It appears that a new crisis looms on the horizon involving municipalities, a crisis that Al-Asmar has vowed to address after Eid al-Fitr to prevent municipalities in Lebanon from facing extinction, as stated in "Nidaa Al-Watan".
