SCC Calls for General Strike on Wednesday as Discussion on Wage Scale Draft Extended for 2 Weeks

A majority of MPs on Tuesday evening voted to form a parliamentary panel to study the new wage scale draft once again, prompting the Syndicate Coordination Committee to call for a general strike on Wednesday.

"The parliament voted in favor of a suggestion to form a committee tasked with studying the draft wage scale another time in the coming 15 days,” the state-run National News Agency said, noting that Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan was the legislator who came forward with this proposal.

Al-Jadeed television reported that 65 MPs voted in favor of forming the new panel, while 27 voted against this option.

“As much as we are keen on the rights of public sector employees, we are also keen on the financial stability in Lebanon,” Adwan said after the afternoon parliamentary session.

He explained: “We want to study the consequences of expenses on the economy as a whole. We need to listen to the opinions of the Central Bank chief, the Civil Service Council, and of the ministers of finance, economy, administrative reform and education.”

“Then, the committee's decision will be based on scientific data,” he noted.

Adwan vowed to “commit fully to the 15-day period.”

Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Ahmed Fatfat noted after the parliamentary session that the draft's numbers “need more examination to reach a balance between revenues and expenses.”

“Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said some articles in the draft's revenues section, which are worth 750 billion Lebanese pounds, are questionable,” Fatfat told reporters.

“Therefore, we have asked for postponing the discussion on the new wage scale until we have reliable numbers in hand,” he added.

Fatfat elaborated: “The objective of the new committee is to cross check the resources of the revenues, without violating any of the demanded rights. We are serious in granting people their rights but we should not cause harm to the value of the Lebanese pound like what happened in the 1990s. We are doing a favor to Syndicate members, to military personnel, and to all employees.”

Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun assured that the new wage scale draft will “not serve people if it was approved and at the same time introduced more taxes.”

“This extra time is not meant to avoid dealing with (the new wage scale), but this is a major issue that should not be treated with recklessness,” he said.

Forming the panel, however, was met with the rejection of Speaker Nabih Berri.

"We hope that this would not be a 'black day' in the parliament's history,” Berri said before the MPs' vote.

Delaying the adoption of the new wage scale draft prompted the SCC to call for a general strike on Wednesday in all public institutions, as well as in private schools.

"We will not stay silent over this procrastination,” SCC chief Hanna Gharib said at a press conference after the Committee's meeting, slamming the parliament's step as “coup.”

“We announce a general strike on Wednesday in all public institutions, without any exception, and in all private schools.”

Gharib added that protests will take place near all municipalities, and that a main sit-in will be held in front of the Ministry of Education in Beirut.

He also warned of "escalatory measures."

“We have a plan for escalation until we reach an open-ended strike and boycott the correction of official exams as of April 29 if the wage scale draft was not adopted,” he stated.

Head of the private schools teachers association Nehme Mahfoud called on non-governmental education institutions to take part in Wednesday's strike.

“A revolution in all private schools should take place tomorrow after the salaries of teachers have been dealt with lightly,” he said.

Mahfoud continued: “I address headmasters and tell them that we are acting under the law. It is not acceptable that threats are used in dealing with teachers. This approach ruins educational institutions."

“Tomorrow will be a starting point in SCC's protests, and private school teachers must play a main role in the committee's efforts,” he stressed.

Earlier in the day, the SCC held a protest in downtown Beirut while the parliament was discussing the controversial wage scale draft-law.

Gharib said during the protest at Riad al-Solh Square that MPs would be opening a battle front with the public sector if the parliament did not approve the scale or decided to make the payment in installments.

The pay raise could have been funded had there not been corruption and embezzlement of public funds, he said in a speech.

Mahfoud told demonstrators that the education minister would be held responsible if the teachers were not given their rights.

"There will be a revolution tomorrow if the pay hike was not approved today," he warned.

The demonstration was accompanied by a nationwide strike by public sector employees.

Before the protest, an SCC delegation met with Finance Minister Khalil and MP Ali Bazzi in parliament, handing them a list of their demands.

Several officials and the Economic Committees, a grouping of businessmen and owners of major firms, have expressed their concern over the wage scale, warning that it would put further burdens on Lebanon's economy.

G.K./ S.D.B.

M.T./ Y.R.