Jaber promises ministry employees improved working conditions

BEIRUT — Finance Minister Yassine Jaber announced Friday, during a visit with his ministry's employees, a series of commitments aimed at improving working conditions at his ministry, through better equipment, digitization, and electronic systems.

Speaking from the VAT building in Beirut's Justice Palace area, Jaber said work had begun to "ensure good conditions in all Ministry of Finance buildings by providing necessary equipment, digitization, and electronic systems to improve productivity," according to a statement published by the sate-run National News Agency.

"We face the challenge of accomplishing this quickly," Jaber continued. "The more revenue increases, the more the budget expands, which will include an improvement in income for civil servants." Public sector employees have regularly protested below-poverty wages since the financial collapse in 2019 reduced their salaries dramatically.

Jaber told his staff that it was time to "rebuild the country together" and that "everyone must do their part."

"The more we work and make efforts, the more we will be able to improve your conditions as civil servants and those of the country," Jaber pledged. "We therefore call for regular attendance, especially since all eyes are on the Ministry of Finance."

Parliament has made several long-awaited reforms to the country's banking systems, specifically the banking secrecy laws, as part of a process aimed at meeting the standards of international financial institutions, so as to unlock aid.

"The difficult period has passed," Jaber said. "Today, a new era begins, a real possibility to rebuild institutions and improve the situation, not only for you but also for the entire Lebanese people, who have suffered greatly from the general collapse."

The minister affirmed that "the reform program has been launched, and sectors that were a burden on the state are being restructured. In the next three or four months, you will see concrete results."