Garbage collection has resumed in Lebanon’s capital after days of pilling up on the streets filling the city with an awful stench.
Last week, Ramco and City Blue, responsible for collecting garbage across Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon, announced they would no longer be able to operate if the Lebanese government keeps failing to pay its dues in US dollars as per the contract.
In response, a solution was quickly agreed upon with the two waste management companies for the payments.
According to local media, caretaker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni will work with Banque du Liban on a solution to provide the companies with their dues, so they can pay their obligations.
Both companies are expected to resume work in the region and remove the accumulated waste.
This is not the first time waste management companies and workers go on strike this year.
In May, RAMCO migrant workers went on strike demanding to receive their salaries in USD and refusing to be paid in Lebanese lira.
With the dollar shortage crisis, many migrant workers have sought to return to their home countries as they are no longer able to make decent incomes in Lebanon.
In turn, waste management companies are now employing Lebanese cleaning workers, providing new opportunities for locals in need of income.
In fact, just recently, a Lebanese with two university degrees became the first woman to join the RAMCO cleaning team. With one million people expected to be unemployed by the end of 2020, the Lebanese are setting aside their degrees and dreams to take in any decent job that could see them through the economic crisis.
