strike of public employees ‘marginalized and in extreme poverty’

Trade unionist Nawal Nasr stated that the conditions in which they live are not even poverty, but “anguish”. Some 15,000 workers have been sitting on their hands for two months without having so far obtained any significant concession. The proposal to increase a per diem favors those with higher salaries. The continuous concessions to private credit institutions and large estates.

Beirut () – It is no longer even poverty but anguish, which is denounced by Nawal Nasr, president of the Association of Public Administration Employees and spokesman for some 15,000 public workers who have been on strike for almost two months. With the right tone and that note of compassion that distinguishes her, this retired civil servant, turned into the “passionatee of the marginalized” of the public function, once again imposes a debate that the political class prefers to forget, on issues of such importance as that of the displaced Syrians or the maritime borders.

The public employees’ strike brings the ruling class back “with its feet on the ground”, since almost 80% of the Lebanese population is in suffering conditions with salaries ranging between 1.5 and 2 million Lebanese pounds, which is between one and two euros per day and corresponds to the threshold of extreme poverty. The strikers are negotiating with the Ministry of Finance and are asking for the value of the salaries to be calculated on the basis of the exchange rate set by the banks (around 8,000 liras per euro, which represents an increase of approximately five times), a objective that is far from being feasible.

In Lebanon, public employees and civil servants do not have the right to form trade unions or strike. But necessity ended up making the law. After a long period in which absenteeism was the order of the day, public employees decided to call a strike to demand a solution to their problems, especially since the services they provide have lost value and the currency has plummeted with a 95% decrease in purchasing power. Public employees, Nasr points out, “no longer have how to get around” or “with what to feed themselves with dignity” and in case of hospitalization or needing important medicines “they are forced to sell their goods.” She considers that the fault lies with the State, which keeps its civil servants and public employees in conditions of anguish and marginalization.

The State, a part of whose services are now paralyzed, has presented a minimum proposal: to increase the per diem for transport to 95 thousand liras per day (from two working days per week), as well as for “similar reasons”. For Nawal Nasr it is a scam “because the per diem increases according to the amount of the salaries, so that the highest salaries also receive a higher per diem. When in fact the exact opposite should be the case.” In addition, the trade unionist is convinced that in the end these promises will not even be fulfilled.

After several weeks of negotiations, some categories of public employees accepted the proposal and a certain number of public transport employees have returned to work. “If some have accepted it -he points out- it is out of desperation. They do it because they have serious problems and they can’t afford to say no.” Or because they don’t live far from their place of work and don’t need travel expenses “to improve their daily life”. According to estimates by Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram, direct daily losses due to the strike amount to about 12 billion Lebanese pounds, just under 400,000 euros. The suspension of work paralyzes innumerable sectors, including civil public services, which issue the essential documents to obtain a visa, formalize the sale of vehicles, obtain authorization to enter goods or register a marriage, a birth, etc.

“However – continues Nasr – the State would have a thousand ways to improve its income and meet the needs of public employees. But the collusion between the private sector and the ruling class, as is well known, deprives the country of valuable resources. While outrageous benefits are given to the richest.”