LABORA “achievements” in employment of Lebanese Christians!

The Christian NGO for employment, LABORA, held yesterday the 8th annual meeting for its network of delegates at St. Antonio- Baabda Monastery in the presence of over 63 representatives of collaborative Christian factions, municipalities, universities, schools and establishments across the country. On the occasion, the private sector officer, Elie Shayya, showcased the respective figures and shares of companies cooperating with LABORA, in addition to job applicants (around 15508 persons between May 2008 and August 15, 2016), and the persons who were successfully recruited by the association (nearly 4564 individuals). Shaaya also pointed out to some 6359 wanted jobs centering around the following fields: administration, sales, accounting, technicians and drivers. Similarly, Maroon Najem, director of the training and development section at LABORA, illustrated with the help of figures the accomplishments of his department, enumerating the different training courses completed throughout the present year and upcoming workshops, and a roundup of 1912 participants and trainees in 2015. The meeting included a lecture on education programs vs. labor market requirements, as well as an outline of the delegates section presented by the director of the public and guidance sector, Jerjes Semaan. The latter called for adopting and activating a strategy that regulates the work of delegates and organizes cooperation with the various parties involved with the aim to increase the pool of job applicants. Towards the end, LABORA President, father Toni Khadra, indicated that the problem has transcended the dilemma of restoring equilibrium in the number of Christian state employees, to a more sophisticated and pervasive corruption crisis. He mentioned that some deputies and ministers in the government do not observe or implement the decisions of the Central Inspection, the Shura Council or the Council of Civil Service and other similar departments, hence giving way to discretion rather than the implementation of the law. (Al Diyar, August 31, 2016)