Ministry of Economy sacks wheat storage manager

The Ministry of Economy and Trade has sacked Moussa Khoury, Manager of the wheat storage facilities authority, along with five other employees. The decision came after the ministry received the results of a probe conducted by Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) to evaluate the work of the authority. The probe found several administrative and financial violations.

“The manager has long periods of absenteeism or comes in late, especially when his presence is most required,” Minister Raed Khoury said.

According to the probe, the manager often overlooks the hierarchy.

The results of the probe revealed that the management has failed to conduct several maintenance measures, does not keep a record of replaced spare parts, and disregards employee safety measures.

Other major violations include having the doors of the storage facilities open day and night, thus creating a security risk.

Financially, the wheat storage facilities have recorded consistent losses since 2013. Revenues are decreasing on a yearly basis. Payroll and social benefits constitute 80 percent of expenditures.

Administratively, 14 out of 100 employees do not respect working hours, and 24 employees are ‘unproductive’. The results also point to excessive bad practice in terms of employment, with the management disregarding the required hiring standards like qualifications, age, and competencies.

“Conflicts among employees are rising. Three clashes were recorded in the first half of 2017,” Khoury said.

“Accountability is being undertaken according to clear scientific standards, built on accurate statistics and figures. Our goal is to transform this authority to a profitable one,” he said.