Lebanon civil servants on strike amid wage hike crisis
Lebanon civil servants on strike amid wage hike crisis
Lebanon’s civil servants are on strike to pressure the government to pay them recently approved wage hikes amid a new crisis over how to finance them.
1 min read
Lebanon's government faces major test with strikes announced across the country this week [AFP file-photo]
Lebanon’s civil servants are on strike to pressure the government to pay them recently approved wage hikes amid a new crisis over how to finance them.
The Cabinet met on Tuesday to discuss new ways to finance the wages bill, estimated at $800 million, but failed to reach a decision, threatening to trigger fresh protests and strikes this week.
The law improving the wages, which had been in the works for years, was passed earlier this summer.
However the Constitutional Council earlier this week revoked a tax law to finance the bill, saying it violated the constitution.
The decision left the government scrambling for ways to finance the wage bill, amid pressure from public servants who expected their new salaries this month.
Government offices were shut on Tuesday, and hundreds of civil servants protested outside.
One poster simply read: “The dignity strike.”
More In News
