Lebanon Strike Call Is Largely Ignored
Most Lebanese went to work as usual Saturday, ignoring for the second day a call by the General Labor Federation to strike in protest against the country’s soaring inflation rate.
Newspapers, banks and some public institutions and schools were closed, but about 90% of factories, restaurants, shops and other private businesses across Lebanon opened their doors for business.
“It looks like a normal day of work. Nobody seems to have listened to the call for the strike,” said Mohammed Yunis, a taxi driver in Muslim West Beirut as he filled his cab with commuters.
The federation Thursday called for a two-day strike to back a demand for a 300% pay increase that it said would offset the inflation rate over the last six months.
About 40% of workers were estimated to have obeyed the strike call Friday.
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