The following are samples of the contributions and indemnities that public employees receive in their respective administrations:

• Ministry of Justice: A judicial collaborative fund with contributions amounting to LBP 750 000 for each employee every two months.
• Banque du Liban: A 16-month annual pay, soft loans and scholarships reaching USD 5000 in secondary education and USD 8000 in higher education.
• Ministry of Finance: Revenues climbing as high as LBP 5 million annually.
• Water authorities: Shares of the collected revenues
• Ministry of Telecommunications: A phone allowance of LBP 125 000 per month
• Electricité du Liban: An electricity allowance of LBP 125 000 per month, shares of the collected revenues and full medical assistance.
• Social Security: A 15-month annual pay, full education scholarships and a 90% medical coverage.

Deprived Coop

The staff at the State Employees Coop complains that the medical and educational benefits they receive are incommensurate with the tasks and duties they perform. In a corrective attempt, the State employees Coop submitted a draft proposal aimed at amending the system of benefits, particularly those related to hospitalization and education.

• Dentistry: Around 50% to 75% of the dentistry services are covered currently, which translates into an annual cost of LBP 460 million. The proposed amendment requests raising the rate of assistance to 90%, that is an annual cost of LBP 553 million and an increase of LBP 93 million.
• Hospitalization: Around 75% to 90% of the hospitalization services are covered currently, which translates into an annual cost of LBP 125 million. The proposed amendment requests raising the rate of assistance to 100%, that is an annual cost of LBP 138 million and an increase of LBP 13 million.
• Education: The Coop employees benefit currently from 75% assistance for education, which translates into an annual cost of LBP 362 million. The proposed amendment requests full education coverage, at an annual cost of LBP 488 million and an increase of LBP 126 million.

The overall expenses would thus climb up to LBP 1,179 million, an increase by LBP 232 million. The Coop staff believes these are the minimum rights and allocations they should be given in recognition of the services they provide to the rest of civil servants. Their call for better pay and wider benefits is likely to set the path for similar demands from under-paid employees in different sectors, which highlights once again the need for a unified benefit allocation system that eliminates the bias and determines pay in line with the respective ranks and qualifications.