The League of Public Administration Employees staged a nationwide strike on Friday to protest against what they deemed as negative signs indicating that they would be harmed by the government's 2019 draft budget.

Speaking at a protest held in front of the VAT building in Beirut, head of the league Nawal Nasser warned that public servants will go on an open-ended strike if the new budget cuts their salaries and reduces their benefits.

Nasser stressed that the strikes were legal despite a memorandum issued by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, stipulating that the regulations and laws prohibit the paralyzation of public institutions.

A statement released by the league on Thursday said that it would wait for the decisions to be issued by the government on Friday, threatening escalation if the public servants' rights are curtailed.