Lebanese Labor Union Chief Criticizes Gasoline Price Discrepancy

The head of the Lebanese Federation of Labor Unions, Paul Zeitoun, expressed surprise at the failure of local gasoline prices to reflect the nearly 50% drop in global oil prices, especially since the pricing authority is an official body represented by the Ministry of Energy and Water.

He pointed out that the ministry typically issues a pricing structure twice weekly for the benefit of fuel companies when global prices rise, yet currently appears to disregard the interests of the Lebanese people. Zeitoun argued there is no justification for the gasoline price not to decrease. He noted that when the global oil barrel price was $126, a 20-liter gasoline container cost 2,582,000 Lebanese pounds, and when the barrel price fell to $70, the gasoline price only dropped to 2,238,000 Lebanese pounds. This shows a 44% decrease in oil prices, while gasoline prices fell by only 15%.

Zeitoun highlighted that this glaring discrepancy exposes government collusion with merchants against the Lebanese public, asserting that the government's silence on this issue amounts to participation in an economic crime that exhausts citizens and threatens their livelihood.

He affirmed that the official silence constitutes a breach of trust and overt complicity with monopolists, calling for immediate accountability of those responsible for this unjust policy.