Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Thursday chaired a meeting devoted to discussing the rights and demands of public sector employees, in the presence of Caretaker Ministers of Finance and Labor, Youssef Khalil and Mustafa Bayram, President of the General Labor Confederation, Bechara Al-Asmar, and other concerned figures.

On emerging, Minister Bayram stressed that preliminary solutions had been agreed upon, such as the immediate payment of the social assistance “provided that every minister is entrusted with securing the continuity of public services in a way that secures people’s rights.”

As for transportation allowances, Bayram disclosed a new possible approach, which is granting public sector employees liters of gasoline to compensate for their daily commute to work.

“The Minister of Finance has promised to study this proposal seriously, in parallel with what is currently in place, i.e. a daily allowance LBP 64,000,” he added.

Bayram also affirmed that the Minister of Education would insist that private schools do not collect tuition fees in USD, especially from public sector employees.

Mikati separately welcomed US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, with whom he discussed bilateral relations between the two countries.

Mikati then met with South Korean Ambassador to Lebanon, Park IL, with whom he reviewed the best means to bolster bilateral relations between the two countries.