MP Kanaan to Form Parliamentary Committee to Resolve New Wage Scale

The joint parliamentary committees convened on Thursday to discuss the new wage scale for public employees after President Michel Suleiman signed the decree mid-June.

The committees decided to task Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan, who is loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, with forming a committee to study the decree.

“I urge everyone to cooperate to resolve the file of the wages. I will set dates for (the committee's) consecutive meetings,” Kanaan told OTV channel.

Deputy Speaker Farid Makari headed the meeting, which was held in presence of caretaker Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi.

Suleiman's signature took time after advisers found accounting mistakes in the scale and returned the draft-law to al-Safadi to amend it.

It was endorsed by the government in March following weeks of protests across Lebanon.

The endorsement was accompanied by increasing the Value Added Tax on cars, mobile phones, alcohol and other luxury products from 10 to 15 percent to be able to fund the raise.

Even if the draft-law is discussed by the joint committees, it is not clear when the parliament would convene to approve it.