back on the job until their demands are met.
“In the history of Lebanon, I don’t think that migrant workers made a weeks-long
strike and protested in such a way,” said Lea Bou Khater, a labour movement
specialist and researcher at the Consultation and Research Institute.
Bou Khater sees the RAMCO strike as a potential watershed for one of Lebanon’s most
marginalised communities.
Denied basic labour protections, migrant workers are frequently exploited by
employers who pay below minimum wage and can deport those who step out of line.
“Their accommodation and food depends on their employer,” Bou Khater told Al
Jazeera. “They can be deported, they are protesting and striking in very difficult
conditions.”
Waves of tear gas waft over a parking lot at a main depot of waste treatment company RAMCO during a
crackdown on striking employees (Photo courtesy RAMCO striker/Al Jazeera]
The exchange rate pay cut
The roots of the RAMCO pay dispute can be traced to Lebanon’s rapidly depreciating
currency.
Rafi says that in November, RAMCO stopped paying him and other workers in US
dollars and started compensating them in Lebanese pounds.