FPM Ministers Exert Pressure on Miqati as Nahhas Refers Wage Decrees to Cabinet

Ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun began on Monday pressuring Premier Najib Miqati to meet their demands after Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas referred a series of decrees on the wage boost to the cabinet.

Nahhas’ move came a few days after the Change and Reform bloc ministers conditioned their participation in the government on a series of requests that Miqati should meet. Among them is the increase in salaries and the approval of development projects.

“Everyone should rapidly assume his responsibility,” Nahhas told As Safir daily published Tuesday. “We placed a foundation that we consider as important to all employees and workers.”

“No doubt this is much more important than any funding and any court,” he said, adding that it should be given the priority at the cabinet and be adopted without procrastination.

The cabinet is set to discuss on Wednesday the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. But Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc has rejected to fund the court, saying the cabinet had other priorities to deal with.

Nahhas told As Safir that he proposed raising the minimum wage from the current LL500,000 to LL750,000 and giving a maximum LL300,000 raise to all other employees.

Ministerial sources stressed that the Change and Reform bloc will discuss on Tuesday on whether it will participate in the cabinet session or not. The decision depends on Miqati’s attempts to meet their requests, they said.

March 8 sources confirmed to An Nahar daily that Nahhas’ move was part of the pressure exerted on Miqati.

Aoun’s ministers boycotted a cabinet session last Friday, a day after Miqati warned that he would resign if the government failed to fund the STL which has indicted four Hizbullah members in the Feb. 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and 21 others.