Labor Minister decrees Palestinians can work in professions requiring syndicate membership

BEIRUT — Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram amended on Wednesday the regulations regarding professions restricted to Lebanese nationals, allowing Palestinians to work in trade-union regulated professions.

The ministerial decree, as reported by the state-run National News Agency, will allow “Palestinians born in Lebanese territories and officially registered with the Ministry of Interior” to work in professions requiring syndicate membership from which they had previously been barred.

The syndicate-regulated professions include fields such as medicine, law and engineering as well as public transport and tourism-related jobs. However, not all of these will be immediately opened to Palestinians under the new decision, as some require either legal changes or changes to the syndicates’ bylaws in order for non-Lebanese workers to be allowed into the field.

The decision was welcomed by many who have pushed for expanded rights for Palestinians in Lebanon. The Alliance of Palestinian Forces expressed their gratitude to the Labor Minister in a statement noting that the decision will “widen the margins of job opportunities available to Palestinian workers.”

The Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee president Dr. Bassel al-Hassan hoped that “this decree would herald amendments to discriminatory laws and ensure greater employment for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, guaranteeing a decent and dignified life.”

However, as the new provisions come in the form of a ministerial decree rather than a legislative change, they are subject to changes by Bayram or the next Labor Minister. There are also questions as to whether the syndicates themselves will accept to admit Palestinian members.

"It's good for the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, but I think some syndicates could not allow Palestinians to enter," said Anis Mohsen, a Palestinian writer, researcher and human rights activist.

Attitudes towards the country’s Palestinian population — estimated to number about 180,000 currently — have changed from minister to minister.

In 2019, for instance then-Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman led a crackdown on foreign workers working without permits, which swept up dozens of Palestinians and led to mass protests in the camps.

Palestinians still face discriminatory employment policies, such as their inability to benefit from the full amount of National Social Security Fund coverage that is deducted from their salaries. While Palestinians and their employers must pay 23.5 percent of their salary into the National Social Security Fund as Lebanese workers do, Palestinians are eligible to receive only an end-of-service indemnity of 8.5 percent of their salary. Similarly, Palestinians who were born and raised in Lebanon still need to obtain work permits, although they were exempted in 2010 from paying the fee. Palestinians are also banned from owning property.

Opponents of expanded rights for Palestinians in Lebanon have often argued that to give greater work or property rights would impede the refugees' right to return to their land.

For the time being, Mohsen said, the ministerial decision represents a step forward, but a limited one.

"I think it's the best decision taken until now, but it's not legislation, it's a ministry decision, so any new minister could refuse this decision and make another decision completely opposing this decision," he said. ".... It's very good for Palestinians, but still it's just a decision, not more than that. We need legislation, not a decision."

In a response to our article sent on Thursday, former Labor Minister Abousleiman said that during his tenure, the Ministry of Labor "did not ‘lead a crackdown on foreign workers’ and the measures taken did not ‘sweep up dozens of Palestinians.’”

“The ministry simply applied the law rigorously but humanely and the law requires non-Lebanese workers to obtain work permits. It is simply unfortunate that laws in Lebanon are not abided by for, if they were, perhaps the country would not be in the terrible state it currently is in,” Abousleiman wrote.

Correction: A previous version of this article erroneously stated, as noted by Abousleiman, that Palestinians are excluded from National Social Security Fund coverage. While Palestinians and their employers must pay 23.5 percent of their salary into the National Social Security Fund as Lebanese workers do, Palestinians are eligible to receive only an end-of-service indemnity of 8.5 percent of their salary. Abousleiman also points out that the allowances are only available to workers with work permits.

Clarification: This article has also been updated to clarify not all of the syndicate-regulated professions will be opened to Palestinians under the new decision, as some require either legal changes or changes to the syndicates’ bylaws in order for non-Lebanese workers to be allowed into the field.