The destroyed headquarters of Électricité du Liban in Beirut. (Credit: João Sousa)
BEIRUT — The state-owned Electricité du Liban (EDL) employees' union has called on its members to continue their strike, which began early this week, until Monday, in demand of wage adjustments and improved health insurance.
In a press release issued Thursday, the union specified that the strike - which did not result in a complete halt of electricity provision throughout the country - would suspend the printing and distribution of bills to the service providers who are supposed to collect them until at least Monday.
In principle, this applies to the January and February bills calculated on the basis of the new tariffs increased last November.
The union added that it was awaiting news that would enable it to reverse its decision. In a recent meeting with the parties concerned, the following issues were discussed:
- the establishment of a mechanism to provide financial support for EDL employees.
- the drafting of specifications with a view to issuing a call for tenders to select an insurance company rather than a broker, as is currently the case, to insure these same employees.
The third demand of EDL's employees - the imposition of reduced electricity tariffs - was accepted by the Ministry of Finance, according to a reply letter from the union dated June 12, which L'Orient-Le Jour was able to consult.
The public electricity supplier has faced significant financial and structural difficulty since the start of the crisis and its Beirut headquarters has been out of action since it August 4, 2020. EDL employees' salaries match those of other categories of civil servants. Calculated in Lebanese pounds, these salaries have still not been adjusted to the collapse of the national currency. EDL's management problems are closely linked to the political clientelism that plagues the functioning of Lebanese institutions.