Report: Decisive Position Expected by Aoun on ‘Six-Degrees’ Issue

W460

All eyes turn to the Cabinet session to be held this week after earlier heated meetings that saw ministers divided over the file of Syrian refugees return, and the issue of granting a six-degrees adjustment for teachers’ wages amounting to 40 percent increase, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

Shall the Cabinet hold its session at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, unnamed sources told the daily that President Michel is expected to make a “decisive decision on the six-degrees issue.”

During last week’s cabinet meeting held at the Grand Serail, parties were divided over the file which garnered the Cabinet vote approval of al-Mustaqbal Movement, AMAL Movement, Hizbullah and the PSP, but was rejected by the Lebanese Forces, Free Patriotic Movement and Marada.

The sources said that Article 56 of the Constitution gives the President the right to ask Cabinet to reconsider any decision taken within 15 days from the date of deposition to the Presidency. If the Cabinet insists on the decision or the time limit passed without issuing or returning the decree, the decree is then considered in force and must be published.

However, ministerial sources told the daily that the President had not received the decision yet to say his final word.

Aoun is expected to study the file, but “there is a possibility that he will reject it especially if it is proven to be unconstitutional,” they added.

In 2017, teachers have received wage increase stipulated in the salary scale law but it rejected the six-degrees also stipulated by the law.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 2
Thumb lebanon_first 04 March 2019, 15:34

Teachers, enough asking for money. Enough. 3ayb. This whole corrupt public school system should be dismantled if things continue like that!!

Hezbollah is showing that if mustakbal pushes them too much on defense strategy, they will open the corruption files. 3ayb.

Government has still not addressed a single file that we care about, electricity, traffic, infrastructure, reduction of tax deficit, and Cedre.
They are getting sidetracked with Hezbollah's selfish agendas, special interest groups demands like the teachers, and other red herrings. If it continues like that, expect a banking crash.

Thumb chrisrushlau 04 March 2019, 18:11

Lebanese legislators are among the highest-paid in the world?