Employees of the National Social Security Fund will observe a two-day strike starting Monday to protest the administration’s reluctance to meet their demands.
In a statement to the press, the NSSF staff said they plan to carry out this strike in all offices of the fund across Lebanon. The statement added that the syndicate of workers decided to stage this strike after the mediation efforts with the administration reached a dead end.
NSSF General Director Mohammad Karaki and the head of the Labor Federation Ghassan Ghson have urged the representative of the employees to postpone the strike in a bid to study the demands. But the employees insisted to carry out the strike Monday after exhausting all efforts to reach a solution.
The employees are demanding an advance payment on their end of service benefits.
But the administration argues that this demand is against regulation.
The statement claimed that the administration has offered advance payment on end of service compensation to some selected employees.
It stressed that the administration is not treating the staff on equal basis.
According to the Lebanese law, government employees are allowed to collect their end of service once they reach the retirement age or complete 20 years of service. The syndicate warned that the employees will not hesitate to escalate the situation if the NSSF procrastinated.
The National Social Security Fund provides employees with insurance coverage for sickness and maternity care. It also covers family allowances, end-of-service pensions, and work related accidents and diseases. Any employee or laborer in any sector is eligible to enroll in the program.
Employers are required to register in NSSF all employees working for local and international firms. Foreign employees with a valid work permit and residence permit are entitled to join NSSF, provided their home country offers equivalent or better programs to Lebanese residents employed there. Foreign Nationals are not entitled for end-of-service benefits.
Over 1.5 million Lebanese benefit from the medical and social services of the fund.
The strike will surely affect thousands of beneficiaries who count heavily on the fund.
