On the 8th day of the open-ended strike,
the Union Coordination Committee’s mass demonstration kicked off from al-Barbir
Square all the way to the Grand Serail in anticipation of the cabinet session
due to be held in the afternoon. The protest aims at pressuring
the cabinet to refer the ranks and salaries scale to Parliament as soon as
possible.
From before the Grand Serail, Head of the UCC Hanna Gharib
addressed a speech in which he asserted that
this strike is only the beginning of the “revolution of the starved" in
Lebanon.
Gharib alerted the government to be ready for the main
battle should the cabinet fail to refer the ranks and salaries scale to
Parliament this week.
He also promised protesters that they will remain united for the country's dignity.
For
his part, Head of private school teachers association Nehme Mahfoud
stressed that Private school teachers are not "bandits", adding that
this strike is being held to oppose the government's policy.
Mahfoud
urged President Sleiman to hold an extraordinary session to refer the
scale to Parliament, alerting that the retirement system in the country
is a red line.
Similarly, the Land Transportation Union delegation announced that the strike is on, after meeting PM Mikati, only to later announce that it was postponed to pave way for dialogue in this regard.
Meanwhile, trials were ceased at the Judicial Palace
in solidarity with the Union Coordination Committee.
For his part, Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi ruled out any discussions
regarding the wage hike during Wednesday’s Cabinet session.
This amid Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s
refusal of the government referring the salary increase draft law to Parliament,
“before the Cabinet can secure the funds needed to cover the pay raise.”
The UCC has repeatedly called on
Mikati to validate the new salary scale and consequently refer it to
Parliament.
The government endorsed a minimum
wage hike last December, which became retroactively operative in February 2012,
for both private and public sector employees.
The minimum monthly wage was fixed
at $450, effectively rising by $116 (LL175,000) for those on the minimum pay.
Upon the recommendation of the
Central Bank and Economic Committees, the Prime Minister has suggested that the
payment of the wage hike be made in installments to keep inflation under
control and avoid a widening budget deficit.
The union leader Hanna Gharib,
however insists that no compromise on their demands will be accepted, stating
that the salary hike should be paid in one go using alternative resources.
Mikati has been quoted as saying on several
occasions that if he had to choose between state paralysis and bankruptcy, he
prefers to bear the consequences of the open-ended strike.
As a result, several ministries, government
departments and public schools plunged gradually into paralysis over the course
of the week. Private schools followed the sit-in and closed their doors Tuesday
after succumbing to pressure.
Other sit-ins were also held throughout
the week outside different official buildings across Lebanon, with still no
solution to the workers’ crisis which has repeatedly disturbed the country’s
official operations and school activity in sight.
Education Minister Hassan Diab
warned Tuesday that official exams for Grades 9 and 12 scheduled for the summer
could be postponed.
For the full report, please click on the VIDEO above.