The General Labor Confederation, unions and liberal professions in Lebanon plan to hold a general strike in case political leaders fail to reach an agreement on the new cabinet. “We will not just issue statements and meet with officials, as we did previously without reaching any results. We will take escalatory measures," President of the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers Bechara Asmar told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday. "We will resort to the street and we might call for an open-ended strike, stopping work in all sectors,” he warned. He said concerned unions and federations would meet next Tuesday and announce their final decision on the measures they would take to face the country’s dire economic situation caused by the cabinet deadlock. Mohamad Choucair, Chairman of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon, echoed Asmar’s calls. Speaking to the Central News Agency, Choucair hinted that the Federation also plans to take escalatory steps, including strikes and protests. Unions and federations in Lebanon prepared a document calling on officials to overcome their disputes for the benefit of the country, which suffers economically as a result of rampant corruption, fraud and waste of public funds. “In Lebanon, waste is estimated at around $5 billion per year,” Asmar said, adding that growth has dropped to 1.5 percent and is subject to collapsing at the first economic or security threat. The closure of hundreds of economic institutions in the past couple of years is a sign that the economic situation is dire, the president of the GLC said. “Since the start of 2018, around 40 factories have shut their doors, while more than 400 institutions have closed in the past three years,” Asmar explained. He said a campaign called “Together to save the homeland,” has been launched by concerned federations and unions to reach a comprehensive plan of action in face of the disastrous economic situation.