Abboud Criticizes Nahhas’ Wage Hike Proposal but Says No Political Message behind it
Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud stressed on Friday that the approval of a wage hike decree proposed by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas was not aimed at sending a political message to Premier Najib Miqati.
“It is all about (defending) the authorities of the ministers,” Abboud told Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3) about a decision by Hizbullah, Amal and Free Patriotic Movement ministers to back Nahhas’ proposal rather than supporting a previous suggestion made by Miqati.
The FPM ministers insist that Miqati infringed on Nahhas’ authorities on December 7 when he made his own proposal on a wage hike. But on Wednesday, the three parties’ ministers voted on the decree suggested by the labor minister in what was seen as a political message sent to the PM.
While the tourism minister said he voted in favor of the proposal in order to show unity with his bloc, he stressed in remarks to al-Joumhouria daily that the wage hike is “illogical” and would lead to “the collapse of the national economy.”
Both Abboud and Nahhas are from FPM chief Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc.
The new cabinet decision calls for raising the minimum wage to LL868,000 from the current LL500,000 – a sum that includes a LL236,000 transportation allowance.
Workers earning less than LL1.5 million receive an 18 percent increase while salaries between LL1.5 million and LL2.5 million receive an additional 10 percent on the second salary bracket. Wages above LL2.5 million will not earn an additional increase.
The raise is effective as of Dec. 1, 2011. But the Shura Council will have the final say on it.
Abboud stressed that despite his criticism of the wage hike, he was proud of having multiple views in the Change and Reform bloc.
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