In a feverish race against the clock to defuse the social explosion and prevent the country’s paralysis scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, the Lebanese government, through the “Indicator Committee” and the Ministry of Finance, hastened to propose a basket of urgent settlements; It consisted of linking the daily transportation allowance to the fuel stock exchange to a minimum of 500,000 and a maximum of 800,000 liras, and pumping financial support to public drivers worth 12 million liras per month, in a clear attempt to absorb the anger of the street and confuse the unions’ decision hours before zero hour.
Engineering “transport allowance”: 5 liters within the grip of a financial ceiling
The meeting of the Indicator Committee in the Ministry of Labor, headed by Minister Mohamed Haider, came out with a package of decisions aimed at calming workers and the private sector:
- Moving gasoline indicator: Approval of pricing 5 liters of gasoline per day Basically, the transportation allowance is based on the average price of fuel, with a fixation A minimum of not less than 500 thousand liras and a maximum ceiling of not more than 800 thousand liras per day.
- Jump in family compensation: Submissions increased by 86%; It reaches about 3.1 million liras for the partner, and 1.655 million liras for each child for those subject to the labor law.
- Minimum wage suspended: The meeting failed to reach a final figure for the minimum wage, with an additional month being given before submitting the proposal to the Council of Ministers, amid the economic bodies’ emphasis on not burdening institutions with burdens that would undermine their ability to continue.
Land transport deal: 12 million and customs exemptions in exchange for canceling the strike
In parallel, the Ministry of Finance witnessed a marathon meeting that included representatives of the Ministries of Finance and Transport, the Automobile Authority, and land transport unions:
- Support for public drivers: Agreement to open a financial allocation in the 2026 budget for disbursement 12 million liras per month Every public driver is eligible (from October to the end of December 2026), conditional on strict adherence to the official transportation price.
- Update fleet and trucks: Preparing a draft law that provides tax and customs exemptions to modernize land transport vehicles, in addition to responding to 90% of the demands of truck drivers and those transiting across the border and the port of Beirut.
Between understanding the street and adhering to the strike
These financial “painkillers” put the movement’s leaders in a waiting corner. The land transport sector and the General Labor Union are holding a decisive meeting today, Tuesday, followed by a press conference to determine the fate of Wednesday’s strike, while the Association of Public Administration Employees and Professors continues their consultations to decide whether to suspend the closure or continue with the three-day strike.
The biggest concern among the Lebanese remains: Will the government succeed in buying the street’s calm with “5 liters of gasoline,” or will the cost of these funds return again in the form of fees and taxes that swallow what remains of the citizens’ pockets?
