Miqati: Strike Unjustified as We're Committed to Agreement on New Wage Scale
Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Sunday stressed his keenness on the new wage scale and his commitment to the agreed timeframes -- whether in terms of it coming into force on July 1, 2012 or the agreed monthly installments.
In an interview with LBCI television, Miqati also denied that he had sent the wage scale plan to parliament, noting that expenditure is impossible without revenues.
“The economic effects of revenues must be studied in line with the principle of economic and social balance,” Miqati added.
“Why do they want to go on strike and escalate the situation as long as we're committed to everything we agreed on with those concerned with the new wage scale?” the premier asked.
Head of the General Maronite Council Wadih al-Khazen on Saturday quoted Miqati as saying that “the strike will not achieve anything.”
The Syndicate Coordination Committee on Tuesday called for a general strike and demonstrations to be staged on October 10 over what it called “the government's procrastination” and “the onslaught of the Economic Committees,” stressing that it will not stand idly by as the government delays referring the new wage scale to parliament.
On September 6, the cabinet approved the new wage scale with a hike in taxes on real estate and banking transactions, without reaching a final agreement on funding sources.
The Economic Committees, a grouping of the country's businessmen and owners of major firms, on September 6 said they would reject any decision taken by cabinet on the new wage scale, warning that the government's plan would "inflict major losses on the public and private sectors."
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