Collective Action
Land transport union closes down roads across Lebanon
The Unions and Leagues of Land Transport closed down main roads across the country protesting against what it says is inadequate government supervision of competition from non-Lebanese drivers, according to local media reports.
Protests were called for from Zahle in the Bekaa up to north Lebanon’s Akkar, through Beirut and down to south Lebanon, with truck drivers and taxi drivers calling on the government to stop undocumented and unlicensed drivers from working in the country.
Caretaker Transportation Minister Youssef Fenianos listed three other main demands from the unions: for the Interior Minister to stop issuing permits to trucks that weigh more than 21 tons, for the Internal Security Forces to do more to stop the practice of taxis and vans using the same license plate, and for a public transportation plan to be passed by Cabinet - though Fenianos didn't go into the details of that plan.