SCC Protesters Block Roads across Lebanon on 24th Day of Strike

The Syndicate Coordination Committee went ahead on Thursday with its open-ended strike that was accompanied by blocking several roads across the country.

Angry protesters staged a wide demonstration near Beirut's port and headed after speeches by SCC officials to Zaytunay Bay and will hold yet another protest on Friday near Beirut's Rafik Hariri International airport.

The SCC in its 24 consecutive day of strike has been able to halt work at all public institutions, ministries and schools.

Head of Public Secondary School Education Teachers Association Hanna Gharib, an SCC official, pointed out that the state can fund the new salary scale by ending corruption at Beirut's port.

The protesters held banners criticizing the government and calling on it to refer the new wage scale for public employees to the parliament.

Later, Gharib said from Zaytounay Bay that the government can fund the wage scale from the benefits of the bay.

He described the bay as a violation, saying that the government had implemented the project from the money of taxpayers.

The SCC's open-ended strike entered its fourth week as the government is at deadlocked on finding ways to fund the salary scale that it approved last year. But the SCC is demanding a swift decision and referral of the bill to parliament for adoption.

However, the cabinet will hold a session next week to end the dispute over the matter despite the objection of the Economic Committees that argue that the approval of the scale will harm Lebanon's economy.

SCC protesters have also briefly blocked on Thursday the international road in Sofar, Zahle-Baalbek road, and Ferzol-Karak road.