Health and Agricultural Social Security Committee Discusses Securing Coverage for Sector Workers

The Central Health and Social Security Committee of the "National Meeting of Agricultural Bodies in Lebanon" held its periodic meeting at the Ministry of Labor, attended by the ministry's representative on the committee, Maher Al-Ghoul; the Ministry of Agriculture's representative, Engineer Sara Ramal; the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) representative and Director of Administrative Inspection, Naseeb Al-Akoom; the representative of the Lebanese Cooperative Union, Ghassan Munem; the head of the "National Meeting of Agricultural Bodies," Jihad Balouq; the head of the Health and Social Security Committee, Ali Tamer; the coordinator of the Akkar Governorate Committee, Khadr Al-Maida; the committee secretary and head of the Agricultural Workers Committee in Lebanon, Tariq Al-Hussein; the secretary of the Seedlings and Seeds Committee, Mesbah Obeid; the head of the Greenhouses Syndicate in Lebanon, Hussein Darwish; and a member of the South Governorate Committee, Ibrahim Nahla.

Ali Tamer, head of the Health and Social Security Committee, opened the meeting by presenting the results of previous movements and meetings with officials, particularly with Dr. Bachara Al-Assmar, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NSSF, who pledged to appoint a representative from the General Confederation of Workers to follow up on coordination with the committee.

Tamer affirmed that the "National Meeting" includes specialized committees covering various Lebanese regions, stressing that the priority of the Health and Social Security Committee is to secure health and social coverage for workers in the agricultural sector, considering them among the most needy categories for social protection and the most marginalized.

For his part, Naseeb Al-Akoom, Director of Administrative Inspection at the NSSF, raised a set of questions related to defining the status of farmers and agricultural workers, the entity responsible for paying contributions, and the mechanism of work for specialized committees.

He clarified that the concerned committee works exclusively in the field of health and social security, while other committees handle their respective specialized files.

Al-Akoom indicated that Law No. 8/74 allows the agricultural sector to benefit from social security provisions, particularly permanent agricultural workers registered with agricultural institutions, while other categories require a decree, along with the necessity of conducting a precise study to determine eligible categories and distinguish between small farmers and owners of large agricultural properties.

He affirmed that the priority for benefits should be given to the agricultural worker, not to the owner of the large agricultural property who employs workers there.

He also presented a draft law for social security prepared by former Minister of Labor Mustafa Berram, calling for it to be studied within a week, paving the way for discussion, incorporating observations, and submitting it to the relevant ministers for adoption.

Al-Akoom spoke about the importance of preparing an actuarial study to determine the categories entitled to benefit from health and social coverage, proposing linking the proof of status as a worker or farmer to registration in the agricultural registry, agricultural syndicates, or agricultural cooperatives.

In turn, the Ministry of Labor representative, Maher Al-Ghoul, emphasized the importance of reviewing the project in detail, considering it a suitable entry point to continue research on the file.

Ibrahim Nahla presented the experience of voluntary social security, noting its failure due to the lack of required contributions, and the experience of public transport drivers in this field was also discussed.

Ministry of Agriculture representative, Engineer Sara Ramal, stressed the need to address the situation of foreign agricultural workers, pointing out that they pay contributions without benefiting from the services, which could contribute to finding mechanisms that enhance the benefit of Lebanese agricultural workers from the social security system.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the head of the "National Meeting of Agricultural Bodies in Lebanon," Jihad Balouq, affirmed that the Meeting is working to secure health and social coverage for agricultural workers, emphasizing that they are among the most marginalized groups requiring social protection.