The General Labor Union raised the ceiling of its protest movements in rejection of the rising prices and the high cost of living, declaring a state of economic emergency and matching this by threatening to implement a warning strike, sit-ins, and large field movements in various Lebanese regions.
This escalation came after an extraordinary meeting of the Federation’s Executive Council Bureau, followed by a press conference held by the Federation’s President, Dr. Bechara Al-Asmar, in which he announced a package of urgent decisions and demands.
The Union strongly denounced what it described as a state of widespread “chaos, chaos, and chaos” in prices, especially the prices of fuel and foodstuffs, stressing the necessity of declaring a state of economic emergency immediately to confront this deterioration in living conditions.
The Union called on the Index Committee to convene quickly to decide on correcting wages and transportation allowances and to approve increases in wage supplements, stressing the necessity of disbursing increases, family compensation, and school scholarships to workers in the public and private sectors.
The demands also included setting a sliding scale for electricity tariffs that takes into account the purchasing power of the poor classes, protects industrial institutions and factories, in addition to activating the role of the Ministry of Economy and its supervisory bodies to control prices in the markets.
As part of its escalatory steps, the Union called its Executive Council to meet on Saturday, September 26, at its headquarters, in order to discuss options for field action, set a date for a warning strike, and organize sit-ins in various regions.
The Union confirmed that any future escalation steps will be undertaken in full coordination with the Transport Union, the Popular Forces, and civil society components, in addition to the Public Sector Workers Association, teachers’ associations in public and private education, and representatives of the Lebanese University.
