Today, the city of Tripoli witnessed a large protest movement, during which protesters blocked the roads leading to Al-Tal Square, under the slogan “In defense of the livelihood of all of us,” at the invitation of the Federation of Trade Unions and Employees in the North. The sit-in witnessed massive participation, including trade union bodies and employee associations from the public and private sectors, in addition to bus drivers, in protest against the record rise in fuel prices and the deterioration of living conditions.
In a speech from Gamal Abdel Nasser Square, the head of the union, Captain Shadi Al-Sayed, announced that this move comes as a “warning sit-in due to high prices,” demanding the approval of immediate and monthly support for public drivers, in addition to correcting wages, transportation allowances, and end-of-service compensation. Al-Sayed warned the official authorities against resorting to escalation and blocking roads again if these demands were not met by Wednesday.
The movement was not limited to the fuel crisis, as Al-Sayed touched on the issue of “absent demand” workers in the Water Authority in Tripoli, denouncing the neglect of their rights for years despite performing their duties like their colleagues. He threatened to escalate and close the department and other public institutions if this file continued to be ignored. The sit-in witnessed speeches by representatives of North Lebanon water workers, bus drivers, employees of government hospitals, and Tripoli oil facilities.
This escalation comes in light of record levels of oil derivatives prices. According to the schedule of September 25, the price of a can of gasoline (95 octane) reached two million and 845 thousand Lebanese pounds, an increase of 11 thousand pounds over the previous schedule. This crisis coincides with an increase in the consumer price index in August by 16.66% compared to the same period last year, while the Northern Governorate recorded a monthly increase of 1.09%.
The sit-in in Al-Tall Square is an extension of a series of movements that the city has witnessed recently, most notably the protest of bus and minibus drivers last week, and a prelude to the general strike announced by land transport federations and syndicates scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, which puts officials before a narrow deadline to deal seriously with urgent living demands.
