Ogero employees announced Saturday the end of a strike that began in August. (Credit: DR)
BEIRUT — Employees at state-owned telecommunications company Ogero announced Saturday the end of their open strike after President Michel Aoun signed two decrees related to the workers' rights, according to a statement published by the state-run National News Agency.
The strike that started on Aug. 30 was aimed at demanding better wages and improving the employees' working conditions.
The executive council of the Ogero employees' syndicate in a statement announced that they will end the strike and called on Ogero's employees "to exert maximum effort to address the malfunctions and complaints that have accumulated during the downtime."
Telecoms services have been undergoing a series of complications and malfunctions in several areas across the country, most notably through power outages and the unavailability of diesel fuel for backup generators for certain power stations. This has affected the quality of communications and internet services, which have faced sporadic and long-lasting disruptions.
The decision to end the strike follows the signing by Aoun of two decrees answering the workers' demands. The first one, decree no. 10109, grants an advance from the Treasury of a little over LL96 billion, which will be used to disburse to employees a monthly amount of "social assistance," additional transportation allowances and payments rewarding the "presence" of employees until the end of the year. The second decree (no. 10110) grants an advance of LL128 billion to be used for salary increases, in addition to an advance for the "high cost of living," without specifying the amount.
The text had been previously signed by caretaker Telecommunications Minister Johnny Corm after negotiations with the syndicate.