The Electricité du Liban (EDL) employees’ union declared a warning strike on Tuesday, closing all centers from Wednesday, May 8, until Friday, May 10.
The decision was taken following a meeting at which a series of employees’ financial entitlements were reviewed.
In a statement, the union railed against the management, accusing it of “systematically placing obstacles in the way, every time workers demand their rights, to prevent their implementation by all means.”
The union asked why the management didn’t seek the help of one of the caretaker government’s top advisors when it granted an extension to service-providing companies without complying with public procurement law.
According to some reports, it was because of the intervention of one of the government’s advisors that the employees were denied their rights.
In addition, the union recalled that, on the basis of the approved emergency plan, financial support was supposed to be granted to employees as soon as it was implemented.
However, this was delayed for over a year, which resulted in employees being deprived of financial benefits throughout this period, “while their living conditions were disastrous, knowing that they persevered in carrying out their duties.”
The union also asked when authorities plan to start work on rehabilitating EDL’s central building, “which was completely blown up by the Beirut Port blast, so that the employees could return to their offices.”
“Employees currently perform their duties in containers that are unsuitable for them in terms of hygiene and functionality,” the statement added.
It is noteworthy that staff at the production plants, main processing stations, coordination service and all departments whose stoppage could pose a risk to public safety will not be on strike.
