Lebanon’s bickering ruling political parties have stalled in putting together an economic recovery plan and reaching a deal with the IMF for a bailout program to restructure its crippled banks and reform its pulverized economy.

The country’s caretaker government under Prime Minister Najib Mikati says it can’t afford the workers’ demands but offered temporary cash bonuses and a slightly improved transportation stipend. Some employees have returned to work, but Younes said the majority still have their doors closed.

“What will (the bonuses) do? Will it help you get to work, pay your electricity bill, or your phone bill?” Younes said. “You can do one of these, but then you can’t feed your children, take them to school, or get them health care.”

Lebanon’s public sector was weak even before the crisis began in late 2019, said Sami Zoughaib, an economist at Beirut-based think tank The Policy Initiative. He described it as bloated, inefficient and marred by political patronage and corruption.

“The elite used public employment as a tool in their clientelistic practices to garner political support,” he said. “A bunch of them are ghost employees who are there only to get their checks but never show up to work.”

Trimming the public sector payroll might help make the country’s budget sheet less sore on the eyes, but may cause backlash, impact political loyalty and worsen Lebanon’s already alarming poverty rate. The cash-strapped country has no viable social protection programs to soften the blow.

“If you fire 20 or 30 percent of the workers, how do you make sure they survive? What kind of social protection measures are you using?” Zoughaib said.

Lebanon has stalled on adopting key structural reforms required to reach an agreement with the IMF on a wholesale economic recovery program, with the government instead resorting to stop-gap measures to quell social tensions.

Zoughaib isn’t optimistic this will change.

“They will continue to kick the can down the road without harming themselves politically, with some patchwork,” he said. “This is harmful for both the public sector and largely for the Lebanese public, which needs public institutions.”

Meanwhile, Younes anxiously shuffles papers at his desk at the consumer protection unit as he takes a phone call. It’s another scuffle at a bread line and it appears that a bakery in Beirut has been illegally hoarding subsidized wheat imports. He calls two inspectors to investigate the situation.

“Because we see how much people are suffering, and because we’re part of the people, we no doubt choose to remain available on this matter even at the bare minimum,” he said.

Younes then prepares for another call with some ministers who have been negotiating with the striking workers. He says their sympathy alone is no longer enough.

“Just like we’re committed to the public administration to continue its work, we hope the rulers do so too,” he said. “If there is no public sector, there is no state, no entity.”