Is it time for residents of Lebanon to start stockpiling manakeesh?
The Lebanese Bakeries Syndicate said Tuesday that a recent crackdown by the Labor Ministry on foreign workers could all but bring a halt to its sector.“Foreign workers are essential members of the bread-making industry ... and measures taken by the Labor Ministry against Syrian workers could stop work in the sector,” a statement from the group said Tuesday.
Since July 10, inspectors from the ministry have visited 1,070 businesses across the country, closing 56, issuing fines to 861 individuals and warnings to 181 others for not possessing the correct labor permit, a source said.
The move came after the expiration of a monthlong grace period given by Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman to business owners in order for their employees to get their paperwork squared away.
The crackdown has perhaps most publicly affected Palestinian workers in Lebanon, whose protests have hit the headlines over the past few weeks. But the bakers union noted the effect the Labor Ministry’s decision is having on the Syrian community, which the union said has been “busy working with professionalism since the 1970s.”
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It warned that making it more difficult for Syrians to work in Lebanon’s bakeries would lead to serious staff shortages.
In response to the crackdown, the union has called on the Economy Ministry and the country’s top three leaders - President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri - to address the issue. If the government fails to reach a solution that the union finds satisfactory, its members will take “escalatory action,” beginning with a general strike.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
