Call for a modern labor law for retail sector workers

The Lebanese Franchise Association (LFA) organized on Wednesday a panel entitled ‘creation of jobs for young men and women in retail sector’. The discussion saw the participation of the heads of LFA, Charles Arbid, and the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers and Employees, Bishara  Asmar, the labor ministry director general, George Ida, the head of the Syndicate of Owners of Hypermarkets, Nabil Fahed, and a number of interested people. In his opening words, Arbid stressed the need for coordination between employers, the labor union, the productive sectors and the labor ministry to promote socio-economic dialogue with a view to reach incentives for production and investment, on the one hand, and strengthen solidarity and social cohesion, on the other. For his part, Asmar underlined an urgency for a legislative transformation, pointing that political stability and serious discourse are essential to prepare the groundwork required to improve conditions and protect rights of employees and workers. Similarly, Ida maintained that the retail sector necessitates a special policy and a modern labor bill to replace the current outdated one which no longer meets the needs and aspirations of laborers. Fahd, on the other hand, revealed that more than 70% of job seekers in supermarkets are university and school students looking for temporary work, wondering, “what are we waiting for to enact a law that gives due regard to the circumstances of those youth,” as he said. (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar, May 25, 2017)