3 months later: EDL sit in comes to an end

24^min

Energy Minister Gibran Bassil said on Friday that the cooperation of EDL workers prevented the country from falling into crisis, noting that the agreement regarding the contract workers’ issue is a political agreement.

During a press conference, Bassil noted that the law does not allow sit-ins to take place inside public institutions, adding that the needs of the institutions determine the number of employees required through a skills test.

“We had to choose between chaos and bringing things back to normal”, he added.

Bassil expressed his gratitude to President Michel Sleiman for his position defending state institutions.

Earlier on Friday, EDL’s contract workers announced the end of their sit-in, based on their satisfaction to the agreement brokered with the company, adding that work will recommence normally at the institution.

In this regard, President of the General Labor Confederation Ghassan Ghosn, and after meeting with the EDL contract workers follow-up committee announced that the agreement stipulates the payment of salaries for the workers, the maintenance of their compensations and the right for all to participate in the skills exam. Contracts were also within the agreement in accordance to the Civil Service Board.

For his part, Liberation and Development Bloc MP Ghazi Zeayter said that all efforts exerted for the rights of those, were done solely from a humanitarian perspective in order to protect these workers’ rights, and not for electoral, sectarian or political means. Zeayter said that the Lebanese citizens, EDL contract workers and collectors have all endured and suffered to reach this positive result “which serves the country’s interest”.

Ghosn and the delegation of contractors then headed to the EDL headquarters in Corniche el-Nahr where fireworks were launched after the reopening of the company’s main gate and where protestors began lifting the sit-in tent from the customer service hall.

However, the The EDL’s Directorate of Distribution announced that it is not concerned with the lifting of the process since it received information that it was not included in the agreement.

In this regard, Ghosn told LBCI that the agreement reached includes the distribution departments in all regions, mainly in Mount Lebanon and Beirut, adding that priority is given to the distribution sector and to the skills test that is expected to take place starting with the Beirut and Mount Lebanon’s departments.

In turn, the drivers' union chief Bassam Tlaiss said that the agreement cancels out all previous points of contention, warning that in case of any breach to the agreement, a new sit-in at the EDL will be called for.