Premier Najib Mikati on Sept. 10, 2021, hours before the announcement of a new cabinet’s formation following a 13-month political vacuum. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram met with Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on Wednesday to discuss the open strike held by public sector workers, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers tweeted.
Here’s what we know:
• Bayram stated that he and Mikati agreed on exempting employees from paying school tuition fees in private schools in dollars, stating that they will coordinate this with the Minister of the Education.
• Mikati confirmed that he will facilitate the withdrawal of employee credits from banks and discuss this with Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, and will discuss the facilitation of giving employees solar energy loans.
• Bayram also said that they have discussed the creation of a special fund for all public sector employees where fines are collected and some fee outputs are used to cover the needs of the public sector and its employees.
• Bayram also stated that they discussed amending transportation allowances when an inspector or observer from the public sector is assigned a task, as the compensation is very low.
• Bayram said these suggestions “are a positive message to public sector employees to bridge the gap between the citizen, the employee and the authority, while reminding that I am not a mediator, but rather build the public administration and understand its pain, but I bear the pain of the citizens.”
• He called the Union of Public Employees to suspend the open strike so as not to disrupt people's affairs stating that he will “communicate again with the Union to follow up the dialogues,” and that he is “open to any idea and suggestion.” He also added, “Mikati informed me that he has contacted the Ministry of Finance and that salaries and social assistance will be paid next Monday at the latest.”
• In response to a question about the suspension of the strike, he said that “the Union is open to the option of suspending the strike and is counting on today's meeting.
• Bayram continued by expressing his “appreciation that there is a positive atmosphere in what I have announced now, and the President also has a positive atmosphere, so let us meet to translate these ideas into practical steps.”
• On managing the announced fund, Bayram said that “the fund is an idea caused by the economic situation, the scarcity of resources, the scarcity of imports, the blockade imposed on Lebanon, as well as failed waste policies.”