BEIRUT — The committee of the employees and contract workers of Rafik Hariri University Hospital released a statement on Wednesday announcing a strike on Thursday and the closure of all external departments.

In a statement published by state-run National News Agency, the committee said that the hospital's administration ignores the employees' right to receive their salaries and fails to complete the process of transferring salaries to the employees’ accounts as necessary.

"We announce, on behalf of the hospital employees, a strike and the closure of all external departments tomorrow, Thursday, with service continuing for in-patients, and a statement will be read on behalf of the employees who are protesting at 10 a.m. inside the hospital," the statement reads.

The committee said that this is an initial step and hoped "not to be forced to take steps towards escalation in the coming days" if a solution is not found.