BEIRUT: Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi denied Sunday that the recent decision to restrict dozens of types of jobs to Lebanese citizens was racist.
Azzi called into a morning talk show on Al-Jadeed TV after former state minister Marwan Kheireddine told the program's host that last week's labor ministry decision was intended to bar Syrians and Palestinians from employment and was therefore racist.
“When you say that a decision is racist, this is big [accusation], because racism means hating the other, and not protecting yourself, your society, generations, students and employers.”
Azzi announced last week a decision to limit 62 jobs to Lebanese citizens only. The jobs covered the sectors of administration, banking, insurance, education, pharmaceuticals, technical professions, trade, finance, engineering, printing and publishing, medicine, law and auto repairs, among others.
The minister has also reserved exceptions for some foreigners such as a manager or a representative of a foreign company registered in Lebanon, a foreigner who has been a resident of Lebanon since birth and a person of Lebanese origin or born to a Lebanese mother.
“When we have 1.5 million Syrians competing with us for everything, while the international community is not helping us, I think the least the Labor Ministry and the government can do is protect the Lebanese,” he said. “As Lebanese, we need to learn how to choose the expressions we use to take positions.”
He also said it did not make sense to give work permits to foreign engineers, lawyers, and doctors while Lebanon graduates many professionals from those industries.
He also explained that the decision was not his own invention, and was introduced by former Labor Minister Salim Jreissati, but said the difference was that he was brave enough to announce it.
Palestinians born on Lebanese territory, who are officially registered in the Interior Ministry and are listed in municipal records, are generally not subjected to the restrictions, except with regards to free contractors and other professions legally prohibited for non-Lebanese.
For decreeing this exception, Azzi said he received a message from the Palestinian Cabinet praising his policy, saying it “protects the rights of Palestinians in the Lebanese labor market.”
“All states make laws to protect national labor,” Azzi said, explaining that the measure does not prevent companies from hiring a Syrian engineer, for instance, if no Lebanese candidate could meet the requirements.
“There is a national responsibility on the Labor Ministry to protect Lebanese labor,” Azzi stressed. “I made this decision because Lebanese immigration today exceeds what we witnessed between 1975 and 1977.”
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