March 14: Social Reform Takes Place when State Regains its Full Authority over Lebanon

The March 14 General Secretariat highlighted on Wednesday the need for the state to regain its complete authority throughout its territories as a means to achieve social reform.

It said in statement after its weekly meeting: “Resolving social and daily demands cannot strictly be solved through numbers, but through a political solution that sees the state regain its authority.”

It made its comments in reference to the demands of public sector employees and teachers from across the country for the approval of a new wage scale.

“The state alone should be tasked with devising security, military, economic, and financial policies,” added General Secretariat.

“It will consequently restore its full rights through collecting taxes and all revenues from the port, airport, and border crossings, as well as the energy sector and other fields,” it stressed.

Public sector employees and teachers from across Lebanon held on Wednesday their biggest demonstration yet in a “day of rage” against lawmakers studying the controversial wage scale.

Speakers at the demonstration, which was organized by the Syndicate Coordination Committee, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, vowed to “remain on the streets” until lawmakers approved the wage hike in accordance to its demands.

A ministerial-parliamentary committee, which studied the hike draft-law, has proposed to reduce the total funding of the pay hike from LL2.8 trillion ($1.9 billion) to LL1.8 trillion ($1.2 billion).

It has also suggested to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 10 percent to 11 percent and increasing customs by 1 percent, in addition to raising other taxes.

But SCC officials reiterated on Wednesday that the public sector employees will only accept a 121 percent wage hike as initially approved by the government of ex-PM Premier Najib Miqati in 2012.

M.T.

G.K.