Ministry of Defense Granted 10-Day Ultimatum to Set Army Demands
The Defense Minister was granted a 10-day ultimatum to determine the demands of the military corps regarding the new pay hike.
“As long as all the rights of the military corps were granted, then we will not demand separating the army's new wage scale from the original draft law,” Moqabel told reporters gathered at the parliament after a meeting for the joint parliamentary committees.
MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after the meeting that the session was adjourned to Wednesday due to lack of quorum.
“Wednesday's session will tackle the pay hike for administrative employees and teachers so that it wouldn't be further delayed in case the army corps' wage scale was separated from it,” Kanaan added.
Parliament failed to discuss earlier this month the wage hike draft-law after Speaker Nabih Berri sent back the bill to the joint parliamentary committees for discussion over differences on the raise.
Moqbel had demanded to separate the wage hike for the army from that of public employees.
Education Minister Elias Bou Saab lashed out at lawmakers after Monday's session.
He told reporters that MPs began withdrawing from the session after the defense ministry was given the ultimatum.
“Endeavors to deal with the new wage hike are still useless.”
Bou Saab said that “no progress has been recorded,” considering that parliamentary blocs are trying to “buy more time.”
The minister also said that “separating the army corps pay hike from the original draft-law would topple the whole new wage scale project.”
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