GLC Rejects ‘Humiliating’ Wage Boost, Threatens to Stage a General Strike
President of the General Labor Confederation Ghassan Ghosn slammed on Thursday the wage hike decree adopted by the cabinet, describing it as “humiliating.”
“We reject this humiliating wage boost because it doesn’t reach out to the hopes of the workers and their demands,” Ghosn told An Nahar newspaper.
The cabinet approved on Wednesday a wage hike other than the decree proposed by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, where minimum wage increased by LL100,000 to LL600,000, salaries under LL1 million by 30% up to a LL200,000 increase, and salaries above LL1 million by a 20% increase up to LL275,000.
Ghosn threatened to stage a general strike.
“I will call for a meeting for the GLC executive council to take the necessary measures… We are headed toward announcing a return to general strike,” Ghosn told the daily.
Nehme Mahfoud, who heads the private schools teachers association, revealed that they “will stage a strike and protests on Tuesday.”
“We reject the decree which clearly contradicts the Shura Council decision concerning the cabinet’s previous proposal to raise the minimum wage and salaries,” Mahfoud told An Nahar.
The Shura Council turned down the cabinet’s proposal in October to raise the minimum wage to LL700,000 and give workers earning less than LL1 million a LL200,000 raise while increasing the wages of employees earning between LL1 million and LL1.8 million a LL300,000 raise.
But the main reason behind the Council’s rejection of the cabinet’s salary boost was the failure to give raises to workers whose salaries are more than LL1.8 million.
While the Beirut Traders Association opposed the cabinet’s decree, the director of the Chamber of Commerce for Mount Lebanon and Beirut Mohammed Shuqair hailed the proposal.
“It’s an excellent (proposal) and we will abide by it in order to improve the workers conditions,” Shuqair stressed to An Nahar.
The newspaper reported that the Economic Committees will try to convince the GLC with the cabinet’s proposal during a meeting that will be held on Thursday.
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