Public Sector Unions Gathering: The Policy of Intimidation No Longer Deceives Anyone

Issued by the Public Sector Unions Gathering (military and civilian) the following statement: "It is important for us to clarify some financial facts based on official figures issued by the Banque du Liban, after contradictory statements and fragmented information have proliferated. According to official data issued by the Banque du Liban, the volume of reserves amounted to about 11 billion and 430 million dollars, while official bulletins indicate that the decline since the beginning of the year practically does not exceed 380 million dollars, at a time when media promotion was made of figures speaking of a decrease of 500 million dollars, which constitutes a clear discrepancy in presenting financial facts to the Lebanese. Also, the official authorities ignore referring to a fundamental datum represented by the rise in public sector deposits in dollars to about 9.34 billion dollars, after these deposits rose by about 400 million dollars during the past period, which confirms that the financial picture is not as it is being portrayed with the aim of justifying the continuation of procrastination and stalling in granting rights and improving salaries and pensions under the pretext of concern for not shaking the exchange rate".

The statement continued: "Official figures also confirm that the total deposits of the Banque du Liban in foreign currencies, plus public sector deposits, rose between January 2025 and the end of April 2026 by about 234 million dollars, while the temporary decline that occurred since the end of February is mainly due to the decrease in collection during the period of the Zionist aggression, and was estimated at only about 200 million dollars, a temporary and natural decline in light of the exceptional security circumstances that Lebanon went through. It must be noted that, in order to grant a temporary compensation as of 1/3/2026 to all public sector employees and retirees, equivalent to six times the basic salary or compensation or monthly wage or retirement pension, according to Council of Ministers Resolution No. 2 dated 16/2/2026, in addition to securing the cost of adjusting the value of monthly family allowances and completing the coverage of school benefits for retired military personnel for the two academic years 2024/2025 and 2025/2026, the Ministry of Finance prepared a draft law aimed at opening an additional appropriation in the general budget for the year 2026 worth 56,500 billion Lebanese lira, and presented it to the Council of Ministers in its session held on 30/4/2026, where the council approved the draft law and the draft decree referring it to the Chamber of Deputies".

The gathering announced "rejection of the continued adoption of the policy of financial intimidation and selectivity in presenting figures with the aim of evading granting legitimate rights to public sector workers, and turning the rights of employees, military personnel, and retirees into material for bargaining or postponement, while official facts confirm that the monetary situation has not changed radically, and called on the responsible authorities to adopt full transparency in presenting financial facts and figures to public opinion, away from selectivity and intimidation, to include the aforementioned draft law aimed at opening an additional appropriation in the general budget 2026 worth 56,500 billion Lebanese lira, (equivalent to approximately 631 million dollars) on the agenda of the first session of the general assembly of the Parliament because the rights covered by the aforementioned draft law are necessary and urgent to maintain the minimum decent living, in addition to developing a real and fair economic and financial recovery plan, and starting as quickly as possible to develop a new salary and wage scale instead of continuing with patchwork and temporary solutions".

The statement concluded: "The Gathering of Unions, as it places these facts before the Lebanese, affirms that the policy of intimidation and scare tactics no longer deceives anyone, and that the real remedy begins with granting rights holders their full rights, not with procrastination, stalling, and attempts to mislead public opinion, and calls on public sector workers, from educational bodies of all categories, administrators, contractors, and retirees, to continue moving, raising its level, and escalating it in the field in steps to be announced later, and holds the government and the Parliament fully responsible for the social, administrative, and living repercussions in case of procrastination and failure to grant rights holders their rights".