Pager attacks: Lebanon files formal complaint with International Labour Organization

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) – Lebanon's labor minister announced on Wednesday that the country has filed a complaint with the International Labour Organization (ILO) over deadly pager explosions in Lebanon in September.

Moustafa Bayram described the attacks as an "egregious war against humanity, against technology, against work," telling a press briefing with the Association of Accredited Correspondents to the United Nations (ACANU) in Geneva that over 4,000 civilians "fell between martyrs, injured and maimed" in a matter of minutes.

"It's a very dangerous precedent," Bayram remarked.

Even though Israel did not officially accept responsibility for the series of attacks, the minister said: "It has become widely accepted, internationally accepted, that Israel was behind this heinous act."

"We are in a situation where ordinary objects, objects you use in daily life, become dangerous and lethal," he said, adding that some workers lost fingers and some others lost their complete eyesight in the attacks.

Nothing that ILO guarantees the safety and security of workers, he said: "So that's why I came here to file a complaint at the ILO, because if left unchecked, this crime could become normalized and generalized in the future."

Lebanon is raising and underlining this issue "to prevent it from occurring in the future," Bayram stressed. "I consider it as a moral obligation to my country and the world."

"We deemed it necessary to point out that this runs contrary to work environment, security and safety, contrary to decent work principles... defended by the ILO," he said.

Lebanese mission in Geneva told Anadolu that the complaint has been filled "three days ago."

In response to a question, he acknowledged the possibility of filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the future.

The minister called for a cease-fire and the full application of UN resolution seven 1701 which urges a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.