The Baabda courthouse. (Credit: NNA).
Lebanon's court officers announced late Friday that they would remain on strike until next Thursday.
The court officers, who commenced striking on Thursday, announced their intention to prolong their action despite a meeting on Friday with caretaker Justice Minister Henri Khoury, who promised to bring their "just demands" to the cabinet, with the aim of finding "rapid and effective solutions," a press release issued by the group states.
At the heart of these demands is the improvement of court officers' monthly salaries, retirement pensions, health coverage and social benefits.
Thursday is when Lebanon's caretaker cabinet is next due to meet.
The court officers will, however, make some exceptions to their strike: they will continue to address formalities for which the legal deadline is approaching and files relating to detainees.
The court officers' strike was called following the adoption of the 2024 budget law, which determines the payment of taxes on the salaries of civil servants and employees at a rate close to the market rate (around 89,500 Lebanese pounds to the dollar). Since the beginning of the socio-economic crisis in Lebanon in 2019, clerks' salaries in Lebanese pounds have collapsed, as have those of civil servants, in parallel with the collapse of the local currency against foreign currencies.