Labor ministry boasts its “achievements”, while Azzi persists in his quests!

The Labor Minister Sajaan Azzi issued a statement last Saturday outlining the alleged achievements of his ministry, while repeating his well known positions linking foreign workers to the endemic unemployment problem in Lebanon. Azzi began his statement by acknowledging that unemployment has reached 25%, pointing out that the real challenge today is “to counter a move to substantiate the presence of Syrian refugees in the country by finding jobs for Lebanese people and protecting their rights in this regard.” Azzi summarized what he claimed to be achievements of his ministry as follows: First, lowering the number of work permit to foreign workers by 57%, which, according to him, will surely create more job opportunities for Lebanese: secondly, reducing the number foreigners working in international and community organizations from 47% to almost 4.3%; thirdly, issuing work permits in line with local labor market requirements; thirdly, developing a new work culture; fourthly, preparing a draft law regulating work provisions for migrant domestic workers, and in line with decent work guidelines(!), and last but not least, launching a LBP 10 million (some USD 6.6 million) worth projects to generate new employment opportunities for young Lebanese. The minister went on to stress the “need for a sustainable dialogue between the State, employers and workers, with special emphasis on relevant ministerial decisions and decrees that classify jobs restricted for Lebanese and professions open for foreign laborers, particularly Syrian nationals. However, he concluded by admitting in return that" the Lebanese people refuse to work in certain professions, and that they are not staunch job seekers, and would rather leave the country to look out for a job elsewhere” (so much for the new work culture!). (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, June 26, 2016)