Teachers strike to protest contract bill
Some 44,000 students will be affected by a strike by public school teachers and
professors next week in protest against a government bill to introduce contract employees.
Teachers from all sections will take part in the strike next Monday to show their
opposition to a government bill that will annul permanent staff in the public sector and
replace them with employees on a contract basis.
The strike will also be an occasion for them to call for their pay demands, which the
government has approved but not yet granted. Education Minister Abdel-Rahim Mrad said
Wednesday that the government was unable to meet its financial promises to teachers
because of economic difficulties.
In an interview with the Voice of Lebanon radio station, Mrad said teachers had the right
to call for their demands and express opinions, but he cited finance as the reason behind
the delay in granting claims.
Separately, the Lebanese University Professors League warned that Finance Minister Fouad
Siniora has not yet allotted necessary funds to the Teachers Social and Health Fund, as
stipulated in the budget endorsed in January. In a statement, it said the Finance
Ministry’s delay threatened “the medical and social services of teachers and
their families.”
The statement criticized Siniora for not “sparing his precious time to fix an
appointment” with a delegation wanting to discuss their claims. The league called on
Speaker Nabih Berri to put a bill on Parliament’s upcoming agenda regulating
professors’ end-of-service indemnities.
Responding to the issue of contract employees, which has drawn strong criticism, Mrad said
it would be examined and thoroughly studied by Parliament before being endorsed.
“The fate of such a bill will be known after thorough examination and discussion at
Parliament,” Mrad said, adding that he favored the section providing for employee
evaluation every five years.
The bill was endorsed by Cabinet last month and sent to Parliament for examination. It has
been criticized by unions, leagues and even ministers who have warned of political
interference in the public sector if such a step is implemented.
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