The Lebanese Minister of Information, Ziad Makari, decided to suspend the broadcast of "Television Lebanon" today, Friday, due to the problems the channel has been facing for months, according to the "Central News" agency.

Among the most prominent issues affecting the continuity of the channel is the "delay in the disbursement of employees' dues who are on strike and refuse to continue working, despite numerous attempts to find solutions," according to Makari.

The same source stated that "communications are underway from those concerned in the television station with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Labor to address this issue."

Moreover, the Syndicate of Television Lebanon Employees entered an open-ended strike as of last Thursday, conditional on lifting it once they receive their dues, which they claim have not been disbursed for months.

The National News Agency quoted the syndicate as indicating in a statement announcing the strike that the decision to stop work had been suspended after a meeting held at the Ministry of Information on July 28, with the attendance of the General Director of the Ministry of Information and the President of the General Labor Union, following promises to pay the employees' dues this week.

The syndicate also called on all its colleagues at Television Lebanon to "gather together to voice their demands," stressing that the employees have not "received their monthly salaries so far, which confirms the untruth of the promises made months ago."

The establishment of Television Lebanon dates back to the late 1950s and was initially wholly owned by two private companies before being merged in 1978 as a mixed company shared equally between the public and private sectors, until the state acquired the shares of the private sector in 1996, and has since been wholly owned by the state.