Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Tuesday criticized the ruling authority's plan to cut the civil servants' salaries, adding that it would be sinning against the people once more by doing so.

"Before the parliamentary elections, you approved the salary scale law without conducting a study assessing its economic and social repercussions, and without carrying out reforms by purging public institutions of superfluous and fake posts," Gemayel said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

"You hired more than 10,000 civil servants [...] despite being aware that the State's finances are deteriorating. Although you knew this fact, you didn't hesitate to hike wages and make new hires in order to gain votes in the elections."

"After obtaining the people's votes, the ruling authority has decided to back down on everything," Gemayel said. "The ruling authority is now trying to patch up what it did before the elections after it increased the State's deficit and exacerbated the economix crisis."

Gemayel blasted the ruling authority for choosing to reduce the civil servants' salaries, which it had itself hiked before the elections, instead of ending squandering, fighting corruption and controlling tax evasion.

"By previously increasing salaries, the ruling authority equalled between competent and incompetent civil servants; it will do the same if it carries on with its plan to reduce wages. By doing so, the ruling authority would be committing a big mistake against the State administrations and its productivity," he warned.

Gemayel stressed that the only solution consists in removing superfluous positions that were created based on favoritism and in safeguarding the rights of competent public employees.

"You ought to address the issue of fake jobs, but don't have the courage to do that," he noted. "By equalling the honorable and the undeserved, you are provoking the civil servants. Making the people pay for your own actions will not go unnoticed; do not underestimate street actions."