The Union of Independent Business Employees and the Union of Private and Public Institution Employees announced a week-long strike on Monday.
The strike was declared during a meeting with General Labor Union President Bechara Asmar, and comes in response to the continued deterioration of economic conditions in Lebanon, according to the meeting minutes.
The only exceptions to the strike are cases of emergency and technical failures or malfunctions.
The strike will end on Monday, August 30, on which an evaluatory meeting will be held to discuss developments.
Apart from declaring the strike, the meeting attendees issued several demands, including urging the formation of a rescue government and the following:
- Ensuring the continuity and sustainability of institutions that suffer from the inability to secure needed supplies, including diesel fuel, spare parts, and foreign currency
- Ensuring the continuity and capacity of workers, employees, and contractors to operate under the current conditions and the shortage of fuel
- The cash card must include all employees of independent institutions and businesses, and those who have been dismissed at a legal age
- Increasing transport allowance
- Paying the auxiliary month to independent departments, public institutions, municipalities, and government hospitals, and exempting them from fees and taxes due on salaries
- Increasing minimum wage or granting advances to cover the living cost
- Abolishing the ceiling of withdrawals from banks
- Solving the problem of medicine, its unavailability, and its sale on the black market
- Recalculating end-of-service compensations in line with the current reality
