GLC Gears Up for Wednesday’s Strike as it Awaits Last Minute Settlement

The General Labor Confederation was on Monday gearing up for a strike that it plans to hold later in the week as its demand for more than doubling the minimum wage is not likely to be approved by the government and business leaders.

GLC President Ghassan Ghosn told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that labor unions would hold the nationwide strike on Wednesday if its calls for increasing wages to LL1,250,000 did not receive any support.

A ministerial meeting tasked with studying living conditions met under Premier Najib Miqati at noon Monday. Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas told As Safir daily that the committee will seek to find “logical” solutions to the GLC’s demand.

He said he has ordered price monitoring teams to study the “unnatural” rises in price of commodities.

The teams will submit their report on Monday to take the necessary measures to control prices, the minister said although he admitted that it would be difficult to bring things under control.

Miqati met with Speaker Nabih Berri on Saturday saying he did not reject minimum wage increases, as long as economic consequences are kept at bay. He also met GLC and private sector representatives over the weekend.

On Sunday, the premier visited President Michel Suleiman to inform him about the results of his meetings.

But an informed source told al-Liwaa newspaper that negotiations to end the wage dispute have gone back to the starting point.

Suleiman and Miqati agreed that the president meet on Monday with business leaders who are approving a wage boost of only LL80,000 or 16 percent, the source said.