Mikati Cancels Cabinet Session Amid Retirees’ Salary Protest

A scheduled cabinet meeting was postponed on Friday due to a protest by retired military personnel who blocked the paths to the Grand Serail in downtown Beirut. The protesting retirees, gathering at Riad al-Solh Square, were advocating for better pensions and demanded that their grievances be addressed during the cabinet session. The meeting was initially convened to deliberate on the salaries of public sector employees, sparked by controversy over exclusive incentives provided to Finance Ministry employees, which had stirred discontent among workers from other sectors.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati, in response to the day’s heightened tensions, chose to defer the session to prevent potential conflicts, expressing his intention to tackle the issue of employee incentives during the discussion. The decision followed a strike by Finance Ministry employees on Thursday, prompted by Mikati’s suspension of their productivity bonuses pending a comprehensive review of all public sector remunerations during a cabinet meeting.

Mikati affirmed his commitment to ensuring all public sector workers are fairly compensated within the government’s financial capabilities but cautioned against the strike’s implications. The strike underlines the broader economic struggles faced by public sector workers, including armed forces members, whose salaries, paid in the depreciating Lebanese pound, are insufficient for meeting basic living costs amidst a dollar-dominated market.