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By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 27 November 2013:
Tripoli Tower, the commercial hub of the capital, is on ‘lock-down’ following a dispute between . . .[restrict]the building’s management and security personnel.
The security employees, who are understood to be predominantly from Zintan, are apparently affected by the GNC Decision Nos. 27 and 53, under which all armed groups are to leave Tripoli. The government has been implementing the regulations since the bloody clashes in the capital’s Gharghour district left 43 people dead and hundreds injured.
The guards at Tripoli Tower were told yesterday that they were expected to hand over security operations to Ministry of Interior forces, one tenant in the tower told the Libya Herald. However, the men refused to leave, he said, and in response the building’s administration shut down the building.
“There was some sort of dispute this morning between management and the ex-revolutionaries who provide security, with heated discussions in the lobby,” one worker told the Libya Herald. “The management switched off the lifts and the water and went home.”
A number of offices in the building were still working, he added, although these were lacking facilities, with employees forced to use the stairs.
“We never had any issue or dramas with the security here,” he said, “they are former revolutionaries and used to wear uniforms but they dress in civilian clothes now.” He added that security personnel had refused to leave because they wanted to keep their jobs and salaries.
“Our issue is with the management, who have a duty of care to provide us with services,” added, pointing out that companies there paid high rents.
The Libya Herald has been told by reliable sources that, in the presence of 30 people, the administrator of the building was threatened with an attack on him and on his home. He has made a complaint to the authorities.
While some businesses were still operating inside the building today, other offices were forced to close. “I was locked out of the building this morning,” a senior employee at an international company said. “Some of my staff, who were already at work in the office, were asked to leave.” He said that the morning’s events were completely unexpected and had forced many companies usually based at Tripoli Tower to work from home today. [/restrict]
