Teachers march towards Grand Serail, schools commit to strike

Teachers rallied from all over the country to march from Sodeco-Beshara El Khoury square towards the Grand Serail, raising banners and slogans asking for their demands to be met.

The Head of the Trade Union Coordination Committee Nehmet Mahfouz described the rally as massive, urging PM Najib Mikati to learn the lessons from this rally.  

Mahfouz told LBCI that the committee will issue another stance following the strike, saying “this government will either be one for the people of this country, or a government for another people.”  

Member of the Trade Union Coordination Committee Mohamad Qasem told LBCI that the committee did not reach any breakthroughs through talks held with PM Mikati on wage adjustment. Qasem added that all public and vocational schools are included in the strike.  

Public and private schools closed doors on Thursday in solidarity with the strike called for by the teachers association. In Iqlim el-Kharroub, public and private schools' teachers complied with the call for strike. While in Metn al-Aala, studies were interrupted in public, private and professional schools out of the teachers’ adherence to the strike.    

In addition, public and private schools' teachers and the LU teachers in Nabatiyeh committed to the strike called for by the Trade Union Coordination Committee while many of them headed for Beirut to participate in the demonstration.    

Fr. Marwan Tabet, Secretary General of Catholic schools in Lebanon, earlier announced on LBCI that schools will open today.