Lebanon workers stage partial strike

Some 350,000 workers of the General Labor Confederation on Thursday staged a one-day strike to press demands for better pay and improved working conditions.

The strike was only partially observed, reflecting the split between the government-recognized GLC, led by Ghanime Zoghbi, and that of Elias Abu-Rizk, who was ousted in elections he claimed were forged, earlier this year. It was observed mainly by public sector workers, supporters of Zoghbi's faction of the GLC.

Workers at the Electricite du Liban said they would observe the strike for one hour, while workers at Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national carrier, suspended flights between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Flights proceeded as scheduled otherwise.

The strike was called for by Zoghbi earlier this month to press demands, mainly for increasing the minimum wage, adjustment of salaries and endorsing a 20 percent increase in salary scales for the private sector.

He said that he would call for further strikes on Nov. 25 and 26 if his demands were not met.

Zoghbi, at a press conference Wednesday, did not propose a specific figure for the minimum wage. Sources said, however, he aimed at raising the minimum wage for private sector workers to 500,000 Lebanese pounds, from the current 250,000.

Zoghbi said his call for a strike had nothing to do with politics, an allusion to Abu Rizk, who was criticized for mixing union demands with politics when he was president of the GLC.

"When we assumed responsibility over the General Labor Confederation, we decided not to mix the work of unions with politics and tried to stay as far away as possible from political influences," Zoghbi said.