Lebanese caretaker Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram on Thursday raised the minimum wage in the private sector by 50 percent to 9 million Lebanese pounds (about 84 U.S. dollars).
The minister said the transportation allowance will be 250,000 Lebanese pounds for each working day, the National News Agency reported.
“These increases will be reviewed constantly according to fluctuations in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar on the black market,” he said.
The minister also vowed to pressure the government to approve a similar increase for public sector employees who are going through challenging circumstances.
Lebanon has been facing a steep financial crisis that caused a collapse of the local currency and plunged over three-quarters of the Lebanese population into poverty. ■
