Protests against Syrian workforce while labor minister issues conditional work permits

Protests against alleged competition by the Syrian labor force in Lebanon have mounted recently. Blue collar workers and owners of businesses in the Bekaa town of Ali Nahri staged a symbolic sit-in on Friday outside the Town Hall in protest of deteriorating economic conditions and the saturation of the labor market with Syrian laborers. Protesters called for stepping up efforts aimed at regulating the work and presence of the Syrian workforce, warning of escalating the protest action  if their demands were not met. In this respect, while the labor minister, Mohammad Kabara’s campaign to ease foreign workers’ competition continues, the North Governor, Ramsey Nahra, seems adamant in shutting down shops in violation of the legal provisions regulating the work of foreigners in the country. The latest, was the temporary closing of 5 stores in the Batroun area pending settlement of their conditions as per illicitly hiring foreigners. In the same context, Kabara met yesterday the representative of UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, Mireille Girad, to discuss the conditions and impact of the crisis of Syrian refugees on the local workforce. Agreement was reached as such, that the labor ministry issues work permits for the first and third categories of Syrian laborers, particularly in the construction, environment and agriculture industries, in line with the law in force, against withholding the allocated refugee aid from them. Moreover, it was agreed to reinforce the work of labor ministry inspection teams in coordination with the UNHCR and set up an electronic link for exchange of related information. (An Nahar, Al Diyar Al Mustaqbal, February 22 and 26, March 4 and 7, 2017)