The Secretary-General of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions, Shaher Saad, condemned the measures taken by the Lebanese Ministry of Labour against the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. He stated that” these measures were taken as if there was a competition between the Lebanese officials to prove which one is more capable of harming the Syrians and Palestinians ".
Saad expressed in a press statement that the Lebanese Minister of Labour started a racist campaign against the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon through his ministry's inspectors, under the slogan " The combating of the illegal foreign workers". In fact, this campaign is based on the chasing of the Palestinian workers in their workplaces, the filing of legal and financial records against their employers, the closure of the private institutions, owned by the Palestinians in Lebanon, and the arrest and expulsion of the Palestinian workers due to their lack of work permits. It is also noteworthy that the Palestinian refugees are prohibited from practicing 72 professions even if they have the highest degrees and certificates, as well as there are prohibited from owning houses and they are not allowed to be covered by the Lebanese social security service.
Saad stressed that the Palestinians are deprived of their social and economic rights, although that they pay a lot of taxes to the Lebanese treasury, as well as the payment of all the fees imposed on the Lebanese citizens and are subject to the same restrictions on imports.
Saad pointed out that the number of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon fell from 600 thousand refugees to about 168 thousand refugees. In fact, these latter live under miserable conditions and are subject to the worst types of persecution and racism. Moreover, 56% of them are unemployed, while only 38% work, where two-thirds of them have a very simple job (street vendors, construction workers, and farmers), which is unable to cover their basic needs.
Saad pointed out that 6.6% of the Palestinians are under the poverty line, i.e., they are unable to meet their basic daily needs of food (compared to only 1.7% for the Lebanese). Moreover, 66.4% of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are poor, i.e., they are unable to meet their basic needs, like food and other necessities (compared to 35% for the Lebanese). The poverty rates in Lebanon are higher among the refugees living in camps than the ones living within communities, noting that more than 81% of the refugees suffer from misery in Sidon and Tire, as one-third of the poor refugees live in Tire (south of Lebanon).
In addition, about one-third of the Palestine refugees suffer from chronic diseases, where all the families with disabled members suffer from severe poverty. In addition, 21% suffer from nervous breakdown, anxiety, and depression and 95% do not have health insurance (UNRWA provides primary and secondary health care for all the Palestinians for free). All this happens to the refugees, although the Lebanese state receives financial aid for the hosting of the refugees. For instance, UNRWA provides education, treatment, and other vital matters.
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