The Lebanese cabinet returned to life paying the lowest possible losses by using the democratic vote to endorse Premier Najib Miqati’s decree on the wage boost

The Lebanese cabinet on Thursday returned to life paying the lowest possible losses by using the democratic vote to endorse Premier Najib Miqati’s decree on the wage boost.

The formula set by Miqati, in coordination with the President Michel Sleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri won by 16 votes over 23 where member of the Change and reform bloc Minister Freij Sabounjian voted in favor of Miqati’s proposal in addition to the ministers of Hezbollah. However, the decree proposed by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas which contained a more comprehensive proposal including a social and health related decree didn’t acquire the required votes to pass.

Change and Reform bloc seemed inclined to contain the results and deal with it on the basis of respect for the rules of democracy game without converting it into a crisis.

“The formula approved by the cabinet is not in favor of the workers,” Nahhas told As Safir newspaper on Thursday. He criticized the PM for preparing his proposal without consulting any political party.

Energy Minister Gibran Bassil also told As Safir that Miqati blew the chance for the cabinet to approve a comprehensive decree on wages and allowances. “This was a bad mark added to the cabinet’s performance.” “But still we would give it time to improve its productivity,” Bassil added.

Minister of State for Administrative Reform Mohammad Fneish explained the stance of Hezbollah ministers at the cabinet session saying that “Nahhas’ plan is not limited to the wage raise, but includes also several social projects that were well approached. However, they need to be discussed further, especially since approving them requires some amendments to the law”.

The Loyalty to the Resistance bloc minister added that “Hezbollah’s ministers did not vote against the labor minister’s project because the project was not voted on at first.” “The ministers only gave their votes on Mikati’s plan, and Hezbollah ministers said that they are not against it,” he told As-Safir newspaper.

Head of the General Workers Union Ghassan Ghosn and head of the Private School Teachers Syndicate Nehme Mahfouz said that they reject the cabinet’s wage raise plan.

Ghosn told An-Nahar daily that that the “wage raise does not meet the workers’ demands,” adding that “the GWU will convene to take the right decision.” He said in remarks quoted by AL-Akhbar newspaper that the union would convene tomorrow to take the right decision.

In Turn, Mahfouz said that the syndicate “will go on strike on Tuesday against the cabinet’s decision.”

The cabinet voted on Wednesday to increase the minimum wage from the current LL500,000 to LL600,000. It also decided to give employees with wages under LL1 million a 30 % up to a LL200,000 increase. While workers with wages above LL1 million, would get a 20 % hike up to LL275,000.