Middle East Airlines (MEA) employees are scheduled to go on strike for an hour on Thursday, in solidarity with the strike planned by the General Labor Union on the same day.
The Executive Council of the Middle East Airlines and Affiliate Companies Syndicate announced the move in a statement on Wednesday.
It affirmed its support for the General Labor Union’s protests in the face of the deteriorating economic situation.
This comes after “the employee and the worker reached the brink of poverty amid the absence of solutions in the absence of a government working to save what is left before the social explosion,” the Council said.
With that in mind, the Council called upon the Labor Union to take the initiative “from the hands of those who tamper with the lives of the citizen and the worker,” and to keep its meetings open, “to take appropriate decisions in the face of the crisis…”
Employees Are Suffering
A recent report had indicated that MEA employees had been demanding increased wages to counteract the effects of the crisis.
“… There is no electricity, medicine, or foodstuffs that the worker can buy to meet his family’s needs, in the wake of inflation, an unpegged dollar exchange rate, the loss of life earnings due to the disappearance of people’s savings, in addition to the erosion of their compensations that are no longer sufficient to meet their livelihood for several months, after decades of work,” the Council complained.
In light of these conditions, the Council called on MEA workers to stop working at 12 PM until 1 PM on Thursday and to gather outside the entrance of the MEA headquarters in protest.
The aim of the temporary strike is “to express what’s become of us, hoping that the deaf ears of the officials will open and that they will fear God for what’s become of us,” the Council stated.
It’s worth noting that MEA recently began accepting fresh U.S. dollars as a sole payment option.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese pound continues to tumble against the dollar, with no solution to the crippling crisis in sight.
Our team works tirelessly to ensure Lebanese people have a reliable alternative to the politically-backed media outlets with their heavily-funded and dangerous propaganda machines. We've been detained, faced nonstop cyber attacks, censorship, attempted kidnapping, physical intimidation, and frivolous lawsuits draining our resources. Financial support from our readers keeps us fighting on your behalf. If you are financially able, please consider supporting The961's work. Support The961. Make a contribution now.