Information Ministry Closes News Publication Over Ill Paid Working Conditions In Lebanon

• Roshan Amiri
• . July 16, 2022
• . Update: July 17, 2022 10:24 pm
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Lebanon– In the strangest debacle, Lebanese information ministry has reportedly joined a public sector strike that has been ongoing since June. Most government employees have been striking protesting over meagre salaries and lack of support.

The Lebanese currency has had an Icarus fall and the economy is obviously in doldrums as well. Protesting over low salaries have been most public sector employees for close to a month now. The ministry really declared silent war against the government as the state’s media outlets that it oversees, stopped publishing news end of this week. This includes the National News Agency (NNA), that provide daily news pertaining to the crisis-hit country. The NNA is an important news agency on which local and international journalists rely on for official schedules and statements.

The Lebanese pound is worth nothing with the employees at media agencies making two to three million pounds (roughly $100) that they say covers only their transportation cost. The NNA source said employees had not been given compensation for their transport costs in four months.

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The ministry employees intend to strike for a week but are willing to prolong it if their demands are not met. They held a general assembly that was attended by the Minister of Information Ziad Al Makari who has reassured them of a solution in a week’s time.  One of the only items published by the NNA on Thursday was a statement on the strike issued in the afternoon.

“We are no longer able to bear the situation,” the statement said. “We thought for a while that we would be able to overcome [the economic crisis] armed with a sense of professionalism and national responsibility. “But we were in front of a dead end.”