Bank employees in Lebanon vowed Monday to stage fresh protests and sit-ins on April 28 to press their demand for the renewal of a 2008 collective labor agreement.
“The union has decided to continue escalating protests for a collective contract that meets the ambitions of bank employees,” the Bank Employees Union said in a statement.
The union reiterated that it would not budge in its demands, which include post-retirement health care and increased education allowances.
It also lashed back at the Association of Banks in Lebanon, which in an earlier statement said the union did not represent employees in the sector.
“Is the engagement of thousands of employees in the union [a sign of] false representation? Is unionizing in over 38 banks only a symbolic representation?” the union asked.
The union also denied that the average employment cost in the sector had risen to LL65 million ($43,000) a year.
“The [ABL] statement ignored the fact that there is massive disparity in salaries between managers, assistant managers and the rest of the employees – who mostly receive low salaries that are no longer enough for a decent living,” it said.
