Gharib Stresses SCC's Unity as he Calls for 'Historic Day' Tuesday

Head of Public Secondary School Education Teachers Association Hanna Gharib reiterated the solidarity of the Syndicate Coordination Committee as he called for a sit-in near the presidential palace on Tuesday to mark a “historic day” in its wage raise demands.

“The government through its executive authority should refer the wage scale to parliament without hesitation,” Gharib said on Monday at a sit-in that the SCC organized near the industry ministry in Beirut's Adliyeh area.

He called for a “historic day” on Tuesday, saying SCC protesters would gather on the road that leads to Baabda palace to make their voices heard.

The protesters later marched to the nearby Value Added Tax building where they held a sit-in.

Earlier in the day and in remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3), Gharib said: “Each SCC component has its own independence and its own decisions.”

However, “private school teachers are an inseparable part of the SCC,” he stressed a day after the head of their association, Nehme Mahfoud, said that the private schools across Lebanon will resume classes Monday.

But public schools and several other state institutions will remain shut in commitment to the SCC's open-ended strike which it started two weeks ago over its demand that the government refers the public sector wage raise - approved last year - to parliament for approval.

The SCC has been holding sit-ins and demonstrations near state institutions almost on a daily basis.

In his remarks to VDL, Gharib said all officials have stressed to the SCC that the government has no problem in funding the wage scale but that the Economic Committees, a grouping of the country's businessmen and owners of major firms, are rejecting it.

The Committees are warning that the government's decision to boost the salaries of public employees would inflict major losses on the public and private sectors.

Despite their rejection, Gharib expressed optimism that the government would put the wage scale on its agenda during the first session that would be held under President Michel Suleiman after March 21 as promised by Prime Minister Najib Miqati.

“Suleiman has an essential role in the issue of the scale,” he said.