BEIRUT: Employees of Lebanon’s state-owned television channel Tele Liban began an open-ended strike on Thursday in a dispute over salaries and unpaid social assistance.
Work in the news and program departments stopped. However, technicians continued to broadcast recorded music “to keep this station on the Lebanese media map,” an employee said.
Mirna Chidiac, head of the Tele Liban employees syndicate, told Arab New that the strike follows a long series of reviews and “failed attempts to receive our dues.”
Employees are still receiving salaries based on an exchange rate of 1,500 Lebanese pounds to the dollar, which was set before the currency collapse in 2019, she said.
“There are 200 employees at Tele Liban, and some have to borrow money to reach the station’s headquarters in Beirut to continue working,” she said.
“All employees of the public sector have received dues approved by the government to help them, whereas the Tele Liban employees still receive LBP1.5 million, which is equivalent to $16 today. This salary was equivalent to $1,000 before the economic crisis.
“An employee’s salary that was LBP5 million, or $3,500, is not even $55 today.”
On Wednesday, the channel’s administration was told by the Ministry of Finance that “work is underway to transfer the owed funds,” but this “may take days.”
Payment requires a decision from the finance minister to transfer credits from the general budget reserve worth LBP17 billion to cover employees’ dues from November 2021 until the end of May 2023.
However, Chidiac voiced doubts that the promises over wages will be fulfilled.
“Our problem has been ongoing for two years, as if there is an intention to neglect Tele Liban,” she said.
“The transactions go back and forth to the Ministry of Finance. Why are they being obstructed and to whose benefit?”
Ziad Makari, the caretaker information minister, refused to deny claims that the government is neglecting Tele Liban employees’ rights.
He said: “I have pushed for including the names of the Tele Liban employees to the list of the public sector employees, so they benefit from social assistance and other salary increases, and I obtained a government decision on this, but transactions are slow due to the lack of employees attending their work in state institutions.”
Employees last took strike action a year ago, leaving all production suspended, except for coverage from three official headquarters and the evening news.
However, promises made at the time remain unfulfilled.
Some employees believe that there is a move to marginalize the station in preparation for its closure.
Tele Liban personalities such as Chef Antoine and other media figures protested publicly about their salaries and concerns the station may be shut down.
