Combating foreign workforce: bakeries threaten with strike

Following the warning by the head of the Syndicate of Owners of Bakeries in Lebanon, Kazem Ibrahim, to raise prices of bread in response to labor ministry’s recent actions against foreign workforce (https://lkdg.org/ar/node/18689), the Union of Syndicates of Bakeries announced yesterday that the recent measures add more financial burdens on bakeries. A statement by the Syndicate advised ministry inspectors to halt all procedures to give time to resolve the impasse, and appealed to the ministry of economy and the three heads of state to find a quick solution, threatening to strike in case they failed to reach the desired end. The bakeries sector, the statement said, is crucial in the daily life of all the Lebanese people, adding, that since the seventies of the last century, the industry abounds with foreign workers, notably Syrians, who are professionals in the field. The labor ministry measures could undermine the performance of the said sector, especially that there is no alternative at hand to replace Syrian laborers. In its latest moves, the labor ministry’s information bureau said yesterday, that the inspection teams have completed their field missions and began night inspection rounds as of July 29, noting that it will soon kick off midnight searches on bakeries. Inspection has targeted 13 regions on July 29 and 30, including: Hazmieh, Dohat Aramun, Barbur, Zeidaniyeh, Antelias, Dora, Saadnayel, Ksara, Salhiyeh, Jezzine, Baalbaq, Halba and Deir Dlum, the bureau stated. Inspectors visited around 51 shops and institutions, issuing 43 tickets and 17 notices, noting that night inspection covered 8 institutions in Hazmieh and Dohat Aramun resulting in 19 tickets and 3 notices, the statement concluded. (Al Diyar, July 31, 2019)

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