BDL's branch in Saida's doors were closed on Wednesday, July 20. (Credit: Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Banque du Liban employees in all BDL branches across the country began a three-day strike Wednesday morning.
Here’s what we know:
• BDL branches from the north to the south have closed their gates as all employees strike, with the exception of bank security guards.
• The union announced the strike after Judge Ghada Aoun entered BDL’s headquarters in Hamra on Tuesday morning along with members of State Security. Aoun was searching for Riad Salameh, BDL’s governor, who she had issued a subpoena against in February after he did not show up for questioning as part of an investigation into alleged misconduct and corruption.
• The Executive Board of the Federation of Banks Employees Syndicates in Lebanon endorsed the position taken by the BDL employees' union and and it considers exposing criminals and their crimes the responsibility of the judiciary alone.
• During the strike, BDL will be closed, which means that operations requiring validation of its services will be suspended for the remainder of the working week. This includes: transfers abroad, check clearing and exchange operations at BDL’s Sayrafa platform rate.
• Strikes by state employees in a range of sectors have been repeated and regular across the country for months as the economic situation continues to deteriorate. On Wednesday, employees of the Kesrouan Governmental Hospital in Bouar announced in a statement that they will go on strike to demand an improvement in their working and living conditions and an increase in salary, social assistance and schooling grants for their children, the state-run National News Agency reported.