“Lebanon Debate”
The demands of public administration employees are back at the forefront again, in light of the continued decline in the purchasing power of salaries and the absence of any practical steps from the government to translate the promises made to the public sector, especially with the continued postponement of deciding on the fate of the six salaries, so that the public sector has become convinced to raise the ceiling of demands to the extent of demanding a complete correction of salaries and wages.
In this context, member of the Public Administration Employees Association, Ibrahim Nahal, confirmed in an interview with “Lebanon Debate” that the association held a meeting during which it studied the various options presented, noting that the issue of correcting salaries and wages has become an axiom, after employees received government promises that have not been implemented to date.
Nahal stressed that the government did not fulfill its obligations, considering that what is required today is to restore salaries and wages to their purchasing value as they were in 2019, and to approve a new series of ranks and salaries that will reactivate public administration and provide the employee with a decent and decent life.
He pointed out that the demands are not limited to salaries only, but also include social and hospital benefits, because the issue, according to him, is no longer linked to the number of complications, but rather to the employee’s ability to live in dignity and continue his work until a retirement that provides him with the minimum level of stability.
Nahal pointed out that the government had raised the cost of gasoline by about 363 thousand liras since mid-February, on the basis of giving 6 multiples of salaries, with subsequent increases of 50% on July 1 and an additional 50% on January 1, 2027, but no actual commitment has occurred yet.
He considered what was happening unacceptable, criticizing the government’s reliance on taxes and fees to secure revenues from the pockets of citizens and employees, instead of seriously addressing the salary crisis in the public sector.
Nahal revealed that the association has set a schedule of movements, with a series of escalatory steps starting next week, stressing that the strike is not a goal in itself, as the issue is no longer related to the six salaries. Rather, matters now require the employees and those affected to raise the ceiling to the extent of demanding the correction of salaries, and the strike and the street have become a means of raising their voice in the face of official silence, after the employees took into account the country’s security and economic conditions, while the state did not take into account their living conditions.
