Union Coordination Committee: The worst is yet to come

The Union Coordination Committee staged a sit-in on Saturday morning outside the VAT building in Corniche al-Nahr amid tight security measures.     

In this regard, Head of the Private School Teachers Association Nehme Mahfoud said that all private schools will be closed next Monday, adding “all attempts to foil the strike have failed; our movement will not end before the ranks and salaries scale is referred to Parliament”      

In turn, Head of UCC Hanna Gharib pointed out that VAT employees dealt a blow today to all those trying to thwart the strike.  Addressing PM Najib Mikati, Gharib said “enough procrastination; the issue of the scale funding was exposed and Public Works Minister Ghazi al-Aridi stressed that adding the investment factor has become your responsibility.” Gharib urged Mikati to take the right decision by putting an end to waste and corruption.       


Commitment to the strike in Baabda       

Public administrations in Baabda joined the open-ended strike called for by the UCC. Employees went to work but abstained from providing services to citizens, similarly to the Departments of Health, Education and Real Estate in Mount Lebanon. Public schools remained closed.        


UCC announces escalatory steps as of Monday      

In the same context, following a meeting at the UNESCO Palace in Beirut, the UCC announced that a central demonstration will be held in Beirut coinciding with the cabinet session. The Union Coordination sub-committees in different provinces will hold meetings on Sunday 24 – 2 – 2013 to agree on the steps to be taken in each province. Sit-ins and protests will also be held on Monday 25 – 02 – 2013 at 10 am in the following regions:      

In Beirut, a protest will be held outside the Lebanese Central Bank.      

Sit-ins and protests will be held at Grand Serails across Lebanese regions, according to the results of Sunday’s meetings.           

Rallies will be organized in different Lebanese regions on Tuesday 26-2-2013, according to the results of Sunday’s meetings.        

Sit-ins will be held outside private schools that are preventing teachers from joining the strike.      

A permanent sit-in will be held outside the Finance Ministry’s VAT building in response to the threat addressed by the Finance Minister to employees. 


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