Public administration workers Wednesday suspended their strike as Cabinet is set to meet for what is expected to be a final read-through of the 2019 draft state budget, the state-run National News Agency reported.
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The members of the the League of Public Administration Employees, who are employees with a number of government institutions, said they would return to work following two consecutive days of strike action, but that they would “return to striking if necessary,” according to a statement carried by the NNA.
Many public sector workers have recently staged strikes and protests in tandem with Cabinet’s budget talks, fearing that austerity measures proposed in the budget would cut their wages and benefits. On Tuesday, a walkout was staged by employees at serails in Nabatieh, Zgharta and Amioun, as well as public administrators in northern Metn and Tripoli.
Information Minister Jamal Jarrah, who speaks officially on behalf of Cabinet after each meeting, has said that Wednesday’s session, which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., would be the last to focus on the budget and that the ministers had managed to reduce the deficit to 7.6 percent of GDP. However, they have not yet revealed all the details as to whether public employees' salaries would be affected.
Meanwhile, the head of the contracted teachers’ association at the Lebanese University has said its strike is “ongoing,” and that the members will meet after the budget document is published to decide whether to continue.
“The [government] is responsible for this and for the fate of the academic year,” Youssef Daher, the association’s head, told local news site El Nashra Wednesday.
