The headquarters of state-run telecoms operator Ogero in Jnah, Beirut. (Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — State-owned telecoms company Ogero announced Wednesday that its maintenance and other services would be cut off due to a strike by employees over working conditions.
Ogero tweeted that it apologized "for the stoppage of our maintenance services" as well as a help hotline and social media. "You can always access all the information and register requests and pay bills through our application or website," the provider added.
In a second statement, Ogero tweeted that a fire broke out early Wednesday morning at its Khaldeh, Mount Lebanon center, "which led to the stoppage of our services in the area mentioned and its surrounding areas." Ogero also said that its teams "are working to fix the stoppage" in spite of their previous statement, which said that their maintenance services have halted.
L'Orient Today tried to reach out to Ogero's hotline but it was out of service.
Employees of Ogero have been protesting on and off in recent months demanding improved salaries.
Private school teachers are also carrying out a "warning strike" Wednesday over salaries and working conditions and are expected to meet caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi.
Lebanon has been sinking into an economic and social crisis of historic proportions since 2019. The Lebanese lira has lost more than 97 percent of its value on the market, and authorities officially devalued the national currency by 90 percent starting Wednesday. The lira now officially stands at LL15,000 to the dollar while its value on the parallel market is around LL58,000. More than 80 percent of the population now live under the poverty line, according to UN figures.
Correction: The headline of this article was amended to more clearly reflect that some, not all, Ogero services would be cut Wednesday.