A taxi driver in Beirut. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
The head of Lebanon’s Land Transport Unions, Bassam Tleis, announced a nationwide strike for Thursday, urging public transport drivers across the country to participate in large numbers in protests against recent government decisions.
The main gathering is scheduled to take place at Martyrs' Square at 10:30 a.m. Tleis explained that three convoys will set off toward Riad Al Solh Square, departing from Dora, Tayouneh Roundabout, and near the Embassy of Kuwait in Lebanon.
The Lebanese government sparked widespread anger after its decision on Feb. 16 to partially adjust civil servants' salaries and pensions, funding the measure by increasing the VAT and fuel prices.
Tleis called on “all public drivers not to manipulate fares before any official decision is issued,” stressing that “the people are not to blame.” He said that, as no agreement has been reached with the government so far, a broad mobilization is necessary across all Lebanese territories.
He also criticized the fuel price schedule issued by the Ministry of Energy, saying it appeared to have been printed a day before the official decision was released, adding that “people are not naive.”
Tleis emphasized that the unions are prepared to “go all the way” in confronting government measures in order to safeguard citizens’ interests, noting that further steps will be announced from Riad al-Solh Square.
He called on security forces to accompany the protests to prevent any infiltration or attempts to provoke unrest.
On Tuesday, Castro Abdallah, the president of the National Union of Workers and Employees' Syndicates, urged all workers, employees, drivers, retirees, and those with limited incomes affected by the government's new unfair tax policies to participate widely on Thursday in the protests against the Cabinet's new taxes, which "disproportionately impact the most vulnerable social groups," he said.
Despite explanations from Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who argue that the increase does not affect the entire population but only the wealthiest, public perception across social groups was quite different, and the measure has drawn the ire of unions.
