EDL contract workers vow more action over pay

Contract workers with Electricite Du Liban blocked roads leading to the state-run company in Mar Mikhael, warning that if they do not receive the back pay they are entitled to, they will block the entrances with burning tires. For a period of 30 minutes beginning at 9 a.m., the workers prevented cars and pedestrians from approaching the company. They later allowed pedestrians and private cars to enter EDL, but not vehicles belonging to the company. EDL informed Internal Security Forces of the warning and asked the agency to prevent the workers from blocking the entrances, saying the practice would disrupt the work of the company and cause damage to the building. After striking for two months and demanding full-time employment at EDL, contract workers have resumed their protests over unpaid wages. Parliament endorsed a bill to employ the contract workers full-time at EDL, but the draft legislation is waiting for the approval of Parliament’s Secretariat, whose meeting was postponed Thursday. Christian parties argue that employing contract workers with the state-run company without a proper mechanism would cause a sectarian imbalance in the public sector. EDL said earlier this week that legal issues were behind its refusal to pay contract workers their June salaries. In a statement, EDL said it had made the required legal arrangements to pay May salaries but not those of June, arguing that the workers should have joined private service providers no later than June 2. “[Paying June salaries] would violate the contracts signed with service providers and could prompt monitoring bodies to subject EDL to questioning,” the statement read. Payments to bill collectors, the statement added, are awaiting verification by the Energy and Finance ministries. “Some contractual bill collectors are retaining bills and funds collected from citizens and have not yet settled these amounts,” the statement added. From TheDailyStar