Central Bank Workers Suspend Strike ‘Temporarily’
The Head of the Syndicate of Central Bank employees Abbas Awada announced on Tuesday a temporary suspension of an open-ended strike that began last Friday and almost paralyzed the country.
Awada declared the announcement in a press conference after a general assembly meeting.
He said the strike has been suspended “until Friday,” until Article 61 or 60 are removed from the state budget.
“We have suspended the strike until Friday, after that the general assembly will convene and decide whether to resume the strike or not,” said Awada speaking to reporters.
The strike began last Friday and raised concerns it could paralyze the country's banking sector, which relies on the Central Bank for transactions and liquidity.
Tuesday's decision came a day after the Beirut Stock Exchange suspended trading due to the strike declared by the Central Bank employees.
Thousands of Lebanese public employees are on strike amid fears that their salaries and benefits could be cut as part of strict austerity measures to reduce a ballooning budget deficit and massive national debt.
The employees said they will meet later this week to decide on whether to resume or end the strike.
Source: Naharnet
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