The president of the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers (CGTL), Bechara Asmar, said that it is necessary to increase salaries in both the public and private sectors and, in doing so, alleviate the suffering of citizens.
In an interview granted to the IMLebanon website, he pointed out that the economic situation in Lebanon is deteriorating and continues to decline due to the bad policies implemented by Lebanon’s political leaders since the 1990s.
He stressed that “raising the minimum wage must be logical, and we have prepared a study within the CGTL on the acceptable minimum, which must reach around LBP 52 million, including the food, education and health basket, in addition to housing, i.e., electricity, water, communications and transport.”
He wondered whether this could be applied on the ground and revealed that “economic bodies absolutely rejected this figure during discussions and demanded the adoption of LBP 15 million. Furthermore, he recalled that, after great efforts, transport allowances were increased to LBP 450,000 a day, the equivalent of LBP 10.8 million a month, more than the minimum wage, which is LBP 9 million.”
He pointed out that the increase in the minimum wage not only affects employees’ livelihood, but also their health because the 450,000 private sector workers are registered with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and pay contributions.
“According to our estimates, if the minimum wage reaches LBP 20 million, health benefits could be covered by the fund, i.e., 80% of medical care and 90% of hospitalization,” he said.
Asmar also revealed to IMLebanon that “a large proportion of private sector employers do not declare the real salary. In 2019, around 55% of employers announced that their workers’ wages were less than one million pounds, which caused a decline in the NSSF fund’s ability to perform its tasks.”
The trade unionist also assured that there are vital incentives that can be granted to the worker in addition to the salary, such as family compensation, which has been multiplied by 10, school scholarships (of which a multiplication by 5 is required), and transport allowances.
He pointed out that “the economic reality of institutions, factories and the professions underwent a qualitative change in 2023, as they all moved towards dollarization and employees’ salaries are now partially or totally denominated in US dollars.”
