The Consumer Protection Supervisors announced on Friday, November 6, an open strike starting on Monday, November 9, 2026. The movement must reach the leadership in Beirut and the governorates. Officers also announced the closure of metrology centres and the suspension of their offices in ports. They demand their tenure, after nearly 17 years of service according to their statement.
The strike would take place in an authority responsible for monitoring markets, prices and product compliance. At this stage, it is an announced movement. Its effective scope and impact on each service must be noted from Monday.
A control strike announced throughout the country
The press release covers all sections of the Consumer Protection Directorate in the capital and the regions. The officers provide for a stoppage without an end date. They link its lifting to a solution concerning their professional situation.
Two activities are specifically included in their announcement: Weight and Measurement Control Centres, and Harbour Management Offices. However, the text does not describe the practical modalities of this judgment. It does not specify the number of staff mobilised or the possible organisation of a minimum service.
This scope must remain distinct from that of trade itself. Agents do not announce a closure of stores or ports. Their movement concerns the work of consumer protection services. It would therefore be premature to deduct a general stop from imports or distribution.
A tenure expected for nearly seventeen years
The signatories explained that they had joined the administration after public service council competitions. They serve as deputy auditors. According to them, their recruitment was accompanied by a promise of tenure after three years of experience.
They now claim to have completed nearly 17 years of service without obtaining this regularization. They report performing the same duties as their full colleagues. Their application thus concerns the stability of their employment and the rights associated with their status.
Agents also highlight their qualifications. The press release mentions licenses, masters and doctorates. The specialties cited include engineering, law, physics and nutrition. In addition to these diplomas, training courses would be provided in Lebanon and abroad.
They recall that they continued their missions during the wars, economic and security crises and the Covid-19 pandemic. According to their account, this continuity did not give rise to any additional compensation corresponding to the efforts made. These elements constitute the arguments put forward by the agents to obtain the tenure they demand.
The dispute follows the path of a legislative text
The auditors attach their claim to the consumer protection bill prepared by the Ministry of Economy. According to their communiqué, a provision regulating their situation had incorporated this text. They indicated that it had taken several stages in Parliament until its adoption in plenary.
They then refer to the dismissal of the law by the President of the Republic. According to them, work has followed to respond to the comments made, through legal amendments or explanations. They now fear a further postponement or abandonment of the provision that concerns them.
This presentation remains that of the signatories. Their statement does not provide details of the presidential observations or the consolidated text of the contested provision. Thus, it alone does not permit a precise description of the legal disagreement or its parliamentary outcome.
However, staff members maintain one principle: their application would not constitute a favour granted outside recruitment procedures. They highlight their passage through public service competitions and the length of their services. They call for these elements to lead to effective regularization.
Control missions already under pressure
The Ministry of Economy recently described the activity of market surveillance teams. In a review published on 29 October, it reported about 20,000 inspections since the beginning of the year. He also mentioned the follow-up of more than 2,000 complaints, with a team of approximately 70 controllers in the different regions.
These figures relate to the general activity presented by the department. They do not give the number of agents who will participate in the strike. Nor can they be used to measure in advance the proportion of checks which may be suspended.
Minister Amer Bissat recalled several priorities: food compliance, price control and compliance with the rules applicable to generators. He had also insisted on official meters and tariffs. The department invited citizens to submit their complaints through the MoET Digital Services application.
This reminder highlights the diversity of management’s files. A possible interruption will have to be appreciated service by service. The existence of a digital channel alone does not provide information on the ability to process claims during the movement.
A written undertaking could open a way out
The controllers present two possible conditions at the end of the movement. The first is the adoption of the provision ensuring their tenure and regularization. The second is a clear formal commitment, accompanied by a serious and public timetable to bring this process to an end.
They ask that this timetable cover the passage of the dossier before the relevant parliamentary committee and Parliament. They do not specify in their announcement any additional time before the strike begins. The deadline announced therefore remains Monday, 9 November.
The signatories claim that their actions do not target citizens or their rights. They establish a link between the professional safety of agents and the quality of public service. In their view, monitoring food security and markets also means ensuring stable status for those responsible for these tasks.
Their communiqué leaves the door open for action by the officials concerned. The points to follow before Monday are now concrete: a possible official commitment, its timetable and the way in which port offices and metrology centres operate.
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