Finance Minister Yassin Jaber confirmed that the state has taken a decisive and responsible decision: to preserve national stability and ensure the continued operation of public facilities and basic services in the first place, in parallel with fully safeguarding the rights of workers in the public sector.
Jaber stated in a statement today that the government is facing an unprecedented financial and humanitarian situation as a result of the recent war, as public revenues witnessed a sharp decline and social and health needs rose significantly, which necessitated allocating available resources to the most urgent priorities: paying monthly salaries to workers in the public sector, supporting hospitals and the health sector, meeting displacement and relief needs, and ensuring the continuity of public services.
He added: “Quick populist decisions could have been taken, but our responsibility was to prevent the collapse, not to exacerbate it, and to protect the lira and monetary stability, not to risk the fate of the Lebanese.”
He reiterated that employee rights are not a subject of discussion, bargaining, or a material exploited by some for populist goals. Rather, they are a duty and a fixed obligation, but implementation must take place in a timely manner, within sound legal frameworks, and in accordance with the state’s ability to provide sustainable financing.
“Jaber” stated that the security conditions that the country is going through caused the disruption of legislative work, which led to a delay in the approval of binding legal frameworks, noting that the Ministry of Finance is working to manage this difficult stage with the mind of a state keen to manage public money efficiently, and not with random reactions, stressing that the real responsibility lies in making decisions that protect economic and social stability, and not in making easy and ill-considered decisions.
He concluded by saying: Lebanon, which had begun the process of recovery, is committed to continuing it, and just as it is committed to that, it is also committed to that as soon as conditions improve, the social and living issues will be at the top of the priorities, foremost of which is fairness to workers in the public sector, and he addressed its workers and retirees, both civilians and military: “Do not believe those who are evading a sense of responsibility, for your rights approved by the Council of Ministers have not and will not be canceled or lost, and they are a firm commitment that cannot be undone, even if it is delayed for some time.”
