Following the adjournment of the session, Future bloc MP Jamal Jarrah stated that March 14 forces are ready to discuss the pay scale issue with the “other party” in order to find a solution.
Jarrah added that the series of ranks and salaries will have various negative impacts on Lebanese citizens and will reflect negatively on the economic growth. For his part, Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil said from the parliament that he is keen on maintaining the financial stability in the country, adding that he seeks to “rectify” the old policies adopted by previous ministers. He also noted that he rejects all compromises that obstruct the work of the parliament.
In turn, Change and Reform Bloc MP Nabil Nicolas expressed his rejection to the postponement of the exams, stressing that the fate of students should not be linked to the pay scale.
Earlier, House Speaker Nabih Berri met Education Minister Elias Bou Saab and discussed with him the wage hike in the presence of Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil.
The UCC has announced a comprehensive open-ended strike at all public institutions, pointing out that teachers will boycott the supervision and correction of official state exams.
It resumed its movements a couple of months ago calling on the authorities to pass the pay scale, which stipulates a wage hike.
The decision to revive movements came as a result of the failure of the Joint Parliamentary Committees to resolve the dispute on the Value Added Tax in a proposal aimed at securing the funds for the salary scale that was approved by former Prime Minister Najib Mikati's cabinet.
Former PM Mikati's cabinet endorsed the new salary scale for public employees in 2012, ending a long dispute that had triggered several sit-ins and strikes held by the UCC.
Former President Michel Sleiman signed the decree mid-June 2013 and it was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committees for further examination, however the law was never passed to parliament.
Meanwhile, disputes between the March 8 and 14 camps led to parliament’s failure in electing a new president.
Most of the March 8 alliance's MPs boycotted four rounds of elections over their call for an agreement on a consensual president and their rejection of the candidacy of their Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.