A civil servants' union flag. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Public administration employees announced Monday morning that they would extend their month-long strike "on Monday, June 26 and Tuesday, June 27," while other state institutions, including the army, security forces and Électricité du Liban, have returned to work.
The strike began at the end of May to demand higher salaries and transport allowances for civil servants, which Parliament finally approved last week.
Cabinet in recent months increased civil servants' salaries, which are still paid in the vastly depreciated Lebanese lira, by a factor of seven compared to pre-crisis levels, while retirees' pensions were multiplied by six, General Confederation of Lebanese Workers head Bechara al-Asmar told L'Orient-Le Jour. He added that transport allowances had been increased to LL450,000 per day, and that all these increases were conditional on a minimum 14-day attendance requirement per month.
According to Asmar, civil servants are also demanding improved health coverage and "that transport allowances take into account the distance between the civil servant's homes and workplaces."
"A commission bringing together representatives from several ministries (including finance) and other institutions such as the Civil Service Council and the Central Inspectorate has been tasked with working on a solution," he said.