REPORT: EDL contract workers threat to take escalatory measures

Following its meeting with Head of the General Labor Confederation Ghassan Ghosn, Electricité du Liban contract workers and collectors committee announced on Thursday that a series of movements will be conducted on syndical, political and media levels, to force the government to meet their demands.

The committee added that if the solution for their issue is not quickly solved, a protest will be organized on the 9th of January at the company.

The committee also called for postponing the Civil Service Council’s session scheduled on the 15th of January 2013, until the contract workers law is ratified, empathizing on the necessity to pay the salary of 3 months for the collectors and immediately cease judicial warrants against some of EDL contract workers.

For his part, Ghosn stated that it is crucial to endorse a law that grants the contract workers permanent tenure, stressing that any delay will be firmly faced by the confederation. He also urged the committee to form a syndicate under the auspices of the confederation.

Parliament has endorsed a bill to employ the contract workers full-time at EDL but the draft legislation is awaiting the approval of Parliament’s Secretariat.Unlike the FPM and Christian parties in the March 14 coalition, March 8’s Hezbollah and Amal Movement voted in support of a draft law in the Parliament to make contract workers full-time employment.

Christian parties argue that if the EDL were to employ 2,000 contract workers full-time without a proper regulatory mechanism, this would cause sectarian imbalance in the public sector.


To watch the full report, please click on the video above