Public Sector Strike Leaves Lebanese Newborns without Registration

A Lebanese protester holds a sign as fuel tankers block a road in Beirut during a general strike by public transport and workers' unions over the country's economic crisis [File: Anwar Amro/AFP]
A Lebanese protester holds a sign as fuel tankers block a road in Beirut during a general strike by public transport and workers' unions over the country's economic crisis [File: Anwar Amro/AFP]
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Public Sector Strike Leaves Lebanese Newborns without Registration

A Lebanese protester holds a sign as fuel tankers block a road in Beirut during a general strike by public transport and workers' unions over the country's economic crisis [File: Anwar Amro/AFP]
A Lebanese protester holds a sign as fuel tankers block a road in Beirut during a general strike by public transport and workers' unions over the country's economic crisis [File: Anwar Amro/AFP]

As thousands of public sector workers continue their strike in Lebanon, hundreds of the country’s newborns are being left undocumented.

In Lebanon, civil workers have been on strike for more than a month and a half, exacerbating the crises experienced by the Lebanese on different levels.

Because of the walkout, the Lebanese can’t obtain their documents to apply for travel visas and they are also unable to complete the process of buying and selling a car.

Moreover, the work stoppage obstructs the entry of goods into Lebanon through the Beirut port, which threatens food security.

Since June 13, about 30,000 public workers have been carrying out an open strike to demand a correction of public sector salaries and an increase in the value of social benefits.

The direct daily losses caused by the strike amount to about 12 billion Lebanese pounds, or about $400,000, according to the Minister of Labor in the caretaker government, Mustafa Bayram.

Despite attempts to reach a settlement with the employees, many of them refuse returning to their duty stations.

This reflected badly on families trying to register their newborns.

Not only are newborns going unregistered, but also most, if not all, transactions of the civil services departments and others have come to a screeching halt.

The director of the Association of Public Administration Employees, Nawal Nasr, stated that the strike will continue until a fair and equitable result has been reached for the workers, including family support, medical subsidies and education.

The severe devaluation of the Lebanese lira – since 2019, the monthly minimum wage has sunk from the equivalent of $450 to $23– is also what motivates the workers to strike.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.