Soldiers deployed on the "Ring" highway, facing motorists angry over an increase in taxes by the government, on Feb. 17 in Beirut. (Credit: Archive photo Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Several public sector unions — both military and civilian — have called for a strike on Monday following comments by Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who said it would not be possible, for now, to pay the salary increases approved by the government in mid-February for active and retired civil servants.
Unions representing technical and basic education staff, retired civil servants, temporary public administration workers, retired military personnel, and judicial aides said the strike would serve as a “warning” and a “first step,” with further action possible.
On Feb. 16, Cabinet approved a plan granting public sector employees, military personnel, and retirees the equivalent of six months’ additional salary. The measure was part of broader fiscal steps taken in response to social unrest and was supposed to take effect on March 1, just before the outbreak of war in Lebanon.
To fund the increases, the government introduced several unpopular measures, including new fuel excise duties of about $3.5, a one-point increase in VAT, and additional taxes on containers entering the port.
A 'mistaken' decision
Jaber told the newspaper al-Akhbar on Friday that he is “not, for the moment, prepared to spend $800 million per year” — the estimated cost of the raises — arguing that “the decision to pay now would be mistaken.”
“I was in favor of the payment, but we are now working to avoid any destabilization of the exchange rate. In such a context, a mistaken decision could trigger another crisis and cause a collapse,” he said.
The remarks triggered strong reactions from unions, which said they were “surprised” by his position. In a statement, they argued that citing financial stability to delay the raises ignores the difficult living conditions of public sector employees and retirees.
They also stressed that the minister’s role is to implement government decisions, not block them, and that measures approved by the Council of Ministers — including the raises — should be carried out.
