Lebanese Electricity Workers Syndicate Inquires of the Minister: What is Your Stance on the Policy of Dismantling the Institution?

The Syndicate of Workers and Employees of Électricité du Liban issued a strongly worded statement, expressing its deep concern about the current situation of the institution, and affirmed that it has not seen any tangible signs of reform or change, despite the promises contained in the new government’s statement and the oath of office of the new era.

The statement read: “We have spent our lives serving Électricité du Liban and serving the citizens, and we have done our best, but we have not yet seen any serious move towards reform. Rather, we are still witnessing a continuous extension for all suppliers under the pretext of the continuity of the public utility.”

The syndicate considered the extension of service providers’ projects to be unfortunate and unprecedented, as it caused direct suffering to citizens “especially in collection and technical services,” and added: “It has become clear to us that service providers are participating with the institution in preparing the new terms of reference, which undermines the principles of transparency, competitiveness, and equal opportunities, and confirms the absence of any real reform vision.”

Regarding the institution’s situation, the syndicate denounced the fate of the Électricité du Liban building rehabilitation project, which is still destroyed “while its surroundings have been completely rehabilitated,” and affirmed that this neglect negatively affects citizens’ trust in the institution, and the dignity of the employees who “continue their work in containers that are not befitting an employee in a public institution.”

The syndicate also warned against the continued brain drain within the institution, as a result of the loss of administrative and technical staff, and the continued vacancy of leadership positions without any clear plan to fill these vacancies, and indicated that the Civil Service Council has repeatedly demanded the holding of recruitment competitions to compensate for the shortage resulting from the referral of employees to retirement “with the aim of ensuring the continuity of the public utility.”

The syndicate concluded its statement by directing a direct question to the Minister of Energy and Water: “Where is His Excellency the Minister from the policy of destroying the institution? Or has what is happening become a followed approach?”