BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Taxi and bus drivers in Beirut who say the Lebanese government hasn't paid agreed upon subsidies staged a strike Thursday.
The taxi and bus drivers marched from the Dora roundabout to Nahr al-Mot bridge, north of Beirut, causing heavy traffic on Lebanon's main highway, The Daily Star in Beirut reported.
The Public Transportation Drivers Union, which organized the strike, said in a statement it asked Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to hold a parliamentary session to approve the subsidy plan and for Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi to implement it.
The Star reported that in May former Finance Minister Raya Hasan agreed to a monthly subsidy of about $311 for taxi drivers and $232 for truck drivers. The agreement ended a nationwide strike but no payments have been made, the newspaper said
The union also asked the Interior Ministry to take steps to better organize the public transportation sector, stop drivers with unauthorized license plates from operating and prevent foreigners from working in public transportation in the country.
The Confederation of Land Transport and Taxi Drivers in Lebanon said it would also join a planned Sept. 15 strike over the unpaid subsidies.
