One citizen describes the harsh cost of living by saying that they are living “on the edge, or below the edge,” going without any comfort from 7 a.m. until midnight.
The responses from people on the street vary between unemployed individuals and workers. One 17-year-old who works at a supermarket points out that adjusting salaries alone is not enough for people to live comfortably. Several workers say they are forced to work even on holidays and public occasions, including Labour Day. Employees risk having their salaries deducted or even losing their jobs if they do not show up, while others say they have only four days off in the entire month.
One worker calls for sick leave provisions to also cover the need to care for children when they fall ill.
The interviewees emphasize the need for meaningful salary adjustments, pointing out that citizens’ rights and deposits have been “stolen,” and that the increases being introduced are nowhere near proportionate to the scale of the crisis and the hardship experienced by people in Lebanon.
