The president of the General Union of Labor Syndicates, (GULS), Ghassan Ghosn, declared that the workers are set to stage a wave of strikes, demonstrations and sit-ins in order to complain against rising prices and low wages. Ghosn said that the open-ended protests will be nationwide and will commence in late January.

According to a recent report by The Consultation and Research Institute, inflation reached 7.4 percent in 2010. Most affected were the prices of food and oil.

Ghosn maintained that, while all political groups support the demands of the Labor Federation, “the government has done nothing to ease the economic burden on the workers.”

However, GULS appears to be plagued with divisions of its own that reflect the polarized political landscape.

Eleven labor unions that are embedded in the GULS declared their opposition to the intended protests. They also object to the Federation’s intention to hold by-elections to choose six members to its board.

Mousa Feghali, who represents the dissenting unions, met with the Minister of Labor, Butros Harb, at the head of a labor delegation in order to urge him to stop the by-elections which need to be sanctioned by the ministry.

Feghali declared after the meeting that “we don’t want to mix the labor movement with political activities.” He warned that if no agreement is reached with the Federation, “we will exercise our right under international law and establish a parallel Federation.”