BEIRUT: Signs of a breakthrough emerged Tuesday regarding the problematic issue of the public sector finances after Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil held five-hour marathon talks on the wage hike with Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan, a parliamentary source said.
Speaking to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity, the source said that based on a formula agreed upon by the two officials, the wage hike would be paid in installments over two years depending on the capabilities of the Finance Ministry.
The raise would be financed by a 1 percentage point increase in VAT and there would be no retroactive payments.
The source said Adwan was also negotiating on behalf of the Future Movement, adding that he was showing flexibility.
The source said Wednesday would be decisive, as Khalil would relay to Adwan the final stance of the March 8 coalition on the preliminary deal.
In the event the group’s position is positive, Parliament’s secretariat will meet next week to set an agenda for a legislative session expected to convene during the same week.
The visitors of Speaker Nabih Berri quoted him as saying he expected Union Coordination Committee to accept the solution reached during the Khalil and Adwan deliberations. “This is because the burden of the wage hike falls on all the Lebanese and not only on those whom the Union Coordination Committee represents,” Berri was quoted as saying.
The UCC has spearheaded demands for the salary raise over the past three years.
Berri said all efforts were now concentrated on endorsing the salary raise because this was the key to resuming legislative sessions.
The speaker also noted that there were no disagreements between political parties over other draft laws.
No comments:
Post a Comment