Benghazi, 20 July:
The Planning Office in Benghazi was stormed yesterday morning in a row over salary payments. Several protesters brought work . . .[restrict]to a stand-still when they blockaded the offices, in a bid to pressurise the city’s local council into honouring unpaid salaries and living expenses.
Awad Sobeihi, the planning office manager confirmed the protesters should have been paid by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Instead, past payments, totalling LD15 million, had been advanced by the Benghazi municipality on behalf of the ministry.
Despite promises from the ministry that this loan would be refunded, nothing had yet been received. Indeed, it is reported that the ministry has requested the council to provide a further loan.
The economic and financial co-ordinator of Benghazi’s local council, Nabil Zega, confirmed that the prime minister’s office had promised that these families’ salaries would be paid, normally, as in the past. Zega emphasised that council has not received money transfers from the ministry
Sobeihi said that many meetings had been held in an attempt to reach a solution and added that he believed the outstanding payments to families would be made shortly. [/restrict]
