SIDON, Lebanon: Blacksmith Said Skafi is racing against the clock, trying to finish his work before a scheduled power cut begins.Skafi is one of dozens of workers in Sidon’s industrial quarter who are facing the dilemma of how to earn a living with new electricity rationing.

The metal workshops usually operate generators to make up for power cuts, but such cuts now last for 12 straight hours during the day, and the burden of the cost of fuel is too much to bear. So several employers recently struck an agreement with their employees to enforce a different work schedule as a kind of emergency measure.

The new schedule is designed to take advantage of the electricity whenever it is on, regardless of the time of day, which means that craftsmen are now at the peak of their shifts in the middle of the night.

Walking through the area after dark, the sound of metal striking metal echoes against walls, sparks fly and silence is rare.

“We agreed to work when there’s electricity even from midnight until dawn,” says Ali Shami, the owner of blacksmith shop. “Workers who spend the night at work then rest during the day, unless we need to increase working hours and operate the generators. In that case, the workers receive additional pay.”

Generators are good backup, but are too expensive to run the whole day, says Skafi.

“My four workers and I agreed to work only when there’s power, and we tailor our schedule to the electricity schedule,” he says.

“It’s not possible to run the generators for 12 hours. This would cost too much. The generators require 20 liters for 60 minutes. We would work all day only to pay for the fuel used.”

Ahmad Jamal, who works constructing billboards, agrees with Skafi.

“It’s not enough that we’re going through economic hardship. Now there are problems with the electricity,” Jamal says. “We work only when there’s electricity to minimize fuel consumption. The industrial quarter is now only open at night.”

New tactics are also being used in carpentry workshops whose machines require a lot of electricity. These shops have also adapted to the electricity crisis by demanding that their employees work at night.

Carpenter Ali Makki says the recent cuts are the latest evidence of the failure of industrial policy in the country.

“Isn’t it enough that we face foreign competition, especially from Malaysia? Where is the Industry Ministry’s plan to protect Lebanese industry? Our lives have changed. We don’t know night from day anymore,” he adds. “We have to struggle, not against death, but against the state’s neglect, so that we can survive in the face foreign competition.”

Other sectors are also adjusting to the new power cuts. Sanitation workers have begun wearing flashlights on their heads to illuminate areas they clean.

Ali Shamia and Mahmoud Sabaa clean streets together at night, often with limited light from street lamps.

“We have to clean streets at night,” says Sabaa, “and when it’s too dark, we clean by the headlights of passing cars.”