Lebanese public employees escalate strikes over budget and costs

The Public Administration Employees Association in Lebanon has announced an escalation of labor actions, including a mandatory disruption of work every Friday due to rising transportation costs. The association also scheduled additional weekly strikes, specifically naming September 8 and September 17 as upcoming strike days.

The escalation follows criticism of the 2027 draft budget, which the association claims lacks necessary allocations to restore purchasing power and fails to provide equitable bonuses across different government departments. The association is demanding that the budget be halted until all departments are treated equally regarding overtime compensation and bonuses.

Key demands from the employees include: - Restoring salaries to their pre-crisis purchasing power. - Increasing daily transportation allowances to 1,500,000 LBP. - Providing fuel allowances based on real market prices. - Increasing social benefits, particularly educational grants.

The association warned that if the government continues to ignore these demands and the rising cost of living, they may reduce working days to just one day per week, potentially leading to a total shutdown.