Labor Union suspends strike

October 12, 2011 ⋅ 8:46 am ⋅ Post a comment

Filed Under Labor Union, Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon – The General Workers Union said on Wednesday in a statement that it has suspended the strike that was planned for today.”

The Union said that it has reservation regarding the cabinet’s decision over raising the minimum wage to 700,000 L.L calling the increase as too little and unfair

The cabinet decided on Tuesday night to raise the minimum wage from 500,000 LL to 700,000 L.L, and to raise wages of up to 1 million L.L by 200,000 L.L and wages ranging from 1 million to 1,8 million L.L. by 300,000 L.L

Exchange rate: $=1500 LL

Discussion

3 comments for “Labor Union suspends strike”

Please respect the community. Comments that contain personal attacks or inappropriate language will be removed.

Anonymous

That’s $466 total … A MONTH. !!
Usually, across-the-board increases are more fair to the smaller-wage people … but here again they widen the gap from the poorest poor to the higher-poorest poor. Instead of shrinking that gap, one gets a raise of $133, and the other of $200. Which is a 33% difference – for what reason? Means More are paid Less in relative terms. And the ‘Big Business’ types bitch anyway.
You don’t want to know the other gap … to what politicians drag in. Or, maybe you do ….

Anonymous

5thDrawer,

The current minimun salary is 500000 LL plus 100000 for social security that gives us 600000 LL. The sad reality is that once the increase in wages occurs then businesses will no doubt increase the general prices of all goods and services and that would be a severe blow once again to the Lebanese working class.
My guess is that the owners of means of production or the (bourgeoisie) will stop hiring new workers and they will no doubt force the remaining workers to work more. For example, instead of hiring 5 people to do the job they will instead hire 3 people to do the same job and of course pocket the difference. My judgment is that these token measures taken by the Lebanese government will only buy additional time until the next social crisis.

Anonymous

Seems there already ARE a lot out of work even with so little for a wage. People leave the country now just to find a job – even the ones with that wonderful ‘degree’. Even those pieces of paper are becoming worthless. (Add in a gender-factor here.)
You can only push someone’s body or brain to a limit … then you have to hire more to handle more work, decide to have the business remain small, or close the business when the competition beats you.
If you run a slave-shop which even limits bathroom breaks (pee-on-time) and the business expands, you will need more workers. This is tied to something called ‘efficiency’ – usually really a measure of how much the boss makes.
Speaking of the bosses … who usually couldn’t do the work themselves … what percentage income above the worker do you think they are ‘worth’ simply because they began a business … or in the case of ‘CEO’s’ because they figured out the efficiency-factor bosses like.
People will still only buy what they can afford. Price increases in products already unaffordable are unlikely. Even the Chinese slave-labour goods are becoming out-of-reach, and that should tell you something.
And in a ‘country’ where no-one has anything left after buying minimum-living items (food), there is nothing to put away for future OR for a little medical care sometime … and ‘retirement’ is a dream-word. Most die before 60 anyway … or they just keep scrabbling … and their world runs along under-the-counter … payolla for anything – even from a government office.
Systemic failure we see all around the globe now … greed having been the driving force.

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