Blog
Lebanese Court Rules Against Implementation Of Unified Labor Contract
According to local newspaper Al Akhbar, the top administrative court in Lebanon has reportedly blocked the implementation of a proposed labor contract that would have ensured basic employee rights for foreign migrant workers, who have long been a target of systematic discrimination in Lebanon.
The court ruled in favor of an appeal presented by recruitment agencies who opposed securing better working conditions, more employee rights, and higher minimum pay, insisting that these terms are all part of the “business process.”
They voiced their concerns about allowing foreign migrant workers to keep their passports and work permits in their possession, citing that it was “too risky”, and explained that giving them sick leave, annual leave, designated working hours, and the freedom to move around was a bit “over”. Because in their sick line of reasoning, migrant workers are machines who don’t get sick and never need a break.
The unified labor contract appealed in court was issued by caretaker minister of Labor Lamia Yammine back in September as a first significant step towards abolishing modern-day slavery in Lebanon, also known as the kafala or sponsorship system.
The drafted contract was supposed to allow foreign workers to terminate their contract without the consent of their employer and provide key labor guarantees such as a 48-hour workweek, a weekly rest day, overtime pay, sick pay, annual leave, and the national minimum wage. It also highlighted the employer’s duty to set up adequate boarding for workers, i.e. an acceptable bedroom and not just a mattress on the ground in a corner of the house.
But rather than push for advancing the rights of one of the most marginalized groups in Lebanon, the administrative court blocked the implementation of the new contract and ruled in favor of discrimination, racism, murder, and slavery. Shame.
#Lebanon top court halts implementation of a domestic workers contract that moved to abolish the notorious kafala system.
— Timour Azhari (@timourazhari) October 26, 2020
The court ruled in favor of an appeal by recruitment agencies, who disagreed w/ more rights & higher minimum pay afforded to workers.https://t.co/Ym1jcuNeDJ
The court ruled in favor of an appeal presented by recruitment agencies who opposed securing better working conditions, more employee rights, and higher minimum pay, insisting that these terms are all part of the “business process.”
They voiced their concerns about allowing foreign migrant workers to keep their passports and work permits in their possession, citing that it was “too risky”, and explained that giving them sick leave, annual leave, designated working hours, and the freedom to move around was a bit “over”. Because in their sick line of reasoning, migrant workers are machines who don’t get sick and never need a break.
The unified labor contract appealed in court was issued by caretaker minister of Labor Lamia Yammine back in September as a first significant step towards abolishing modern-day slavery in Lebanon, also known as the kafala or sponsorship system.
The drafted contract was supposed to allow foreign workers to terminate their contract without the consent of their employer and provide key labor guarantees such as a 48-hour workweek, a weekly rest day, overtime pay, sick pay, annual leave, and the national minimum wage. It also highlighted the employer’s duty to set up adequate boarding for workers, i.e. an acceptable bedroom and not just a mattress on the ground in a corner of the house.
But rather than push for advancing the rights of one of the most marginalized groups in Lebanon, the administrative court blocked the implementation of the new contract and ruled in favor of discrimination, racism, murder, and slavery. Shame.
