Lebanon’s public sector wokers begin two-week strike

Beirut: Public administration employees in Lebanon began a two-week strike, calling for better wages and transportation allowances.

Around 90 per cent of the employees participated in the strike in the northern city of Tripoli, while a majority across the rest of the country also took part, Ibrahim Nahal, a member of the League of Public Administration Employees, was quoted as saying.

The main demands put forth by them include a raise in transportation allowances, improved healthcare coverage, and higher wages, reports Xinhua news agency.

Public sector employees, who receive their salaries exclusively in Lebanese pounds, have experienced a decline in the value of their wages due to the severe economic crisis that has been ongoing for over three years, coinciding with the significant depreciation of the local currency.

The league had a meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati a few weeks ago to discuss the issue, but no solution was reached.

Lebanon is currently plagued by hyperinflation as a result of an ongoing economic crisis since the end of 2019.

As a result, the local currency lost more than 98 per cent of its pre-crisis value, while inflation in 2022 was 171.2 per cent, one of the highest rates globally.

In July last year, Lebanon was reclassified by the World Bank as a lower-middle income country, down from upper middle-income status.

Unemployment has also increased from 11.4 per cent in 2018-19 to 29.6 per cent in 2022.

(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)