Miqati Tours Downtown Beirut: Open to Any Wage Hike Discussion

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Sunday said he was open to “any discussion” concerning the issue of the controversial wage increase recently adopted by the government, stressing that “we look at the issue from a realistic angle.”

During an inspection visit to the commercial district in downtown Beirut on the occasion of the holiday season, Miqati said: “I stressed yesterday that any matter related to the wage increase and rectification remains short of the major needs, but we look at the issue from a realistic angle and we’re seeking as much as possible to secure balance between needs and assets.”

“We’re open to any discussion on this issue, knowing that the labor minister (Charbel Nahhas) has proposed a comprehensive plan that encompasses the wages issue and all the articles will be debated by specialized ministerial committees,” the premier added.

On Wednesday the cabinet approved a wage increase decree other than that initially proposed by Nahhas, drawing the ire of MP Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement.

Miqati urged “everyone, especially the politicians, to cooperate for the sake of preserving stability.”

He also noted that he would tour the other Lebanese regions “in order to closely inspect the concerns of the various sectors and their demands and the means of activating the economic and commercial cycles.”