SCC Protesters Vow 'Comprehensive Mobilization' as Talks with Miqati Fail
Protesters demanding the government to refer the wage scale for the public sector to parliament for approval held on Saturday a sit-in near the vehicle registration authority in the North Metn town of Dekwaneh, vowing a "comprehensive mobilization" next week.
The protest was organized by the Syndicate Coordination Committee, which is a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees.
Several SCC members, teachers and employees at the authority, who stopped their work on Saturday, gathered outside the premises of the institution, the National News Agency reported.
“No one will end this open-ended strike before the wage scale is referred to parliament,” Head of Public Secondary School Education Teachers Association Hanna Gharib said at the protest.
The sit-in was accompanied by heavy security measures taken by the Internal Security Forces, mainly riot police, to prevent possible clashes.
The SCC launched an open-ended strike last week, saying it will not back down on its demands until the government refers the scale that it approved last year to parliament for endorsement.
A meeting was held between a delegation from the SCC led by Gharib and Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail after the sit-in in Dekwaneh.
The meeting was the first since the SCC launched its strike.
But Gharib said after the talks that there was “no progress,” adding “the strike will go on until it (the scale) is referred to parliament.”
“There are only promises without any practical solutions,” he told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).
Miqati however told journalists at the Grand Serail that he promised to put the wage scale on the agenda of the first cabinet session that will convene under President Michel Suleiman after March 21.
“The issue is not only linked to the wage scale but to the entire economy,” he said, adding that he told the delegation to end their strike.
Miqati later headed to Ain el-Tineh for talks with Speaker Nabih Berri, who allegedly welcomed the government's steps on the wage scale.
During the protest, Gharib had promised a "big day next week" if Miqati did not react positively to the protesters' demands.
"We will only come out of this war with our heads high," he said.
Gharib called for a protest near the industry ministry on Monday to announce a "comprehensive mobilization."
On Friday, a protest was held near the Labor Ministry in Beirut's Shiyah district. The demonstrators announced they would implement new escalatory measures starting Monday if their demands were not met.
The government argues that it is delaying the decision on the funding in an attempt to thoroughly discuss plans to boost the treasury's revenue to cover the expenses of the salaries boost.
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