Deir al Ahmar farmers criticize the impact of relief work on labor supply

Farmers of Deir Al Ahmar, Beqaa, urged the EU and UN affiliated aid organizations to distinguish between the longstanding Syrian workers and the newcomers displaced Syrian nationals. Lebanese farmers who made their appeal ahead of the donor conference for Syrian refugees scheduled to be held on February 4 in London, outlined that many Syrian workers and temporary refugees now refuse to work in the fields since they are registered with the UNHCR and are receiving monthly aid packages. This, farmers added in their statement, has negatively impacted the agricultural sector, the workforce and employers. Farmers warned of an alarming shift in the recruitment of Syrian labor over the past three years, adding that: “In light of the flow of food and financial assistance from the donor community, the laborer who used to work in agriculture for more than 10 years now has new demands and is setting new conditions regarding pay and working hours,” the statement went on to say. (An Nahar, January 22, 2016)