Speaker Distances Himself from Pay Hike Controversy Amid Growing Outcry
Speaker Nabih Berri has kept himself at a distance from the consultations carried out by a ministerial-parliamentary committee on the wage scale amid rising anger against the authorities for seeking to make the payment in installments.
In remarks carried by several local dailies on Monday, Berri said: “I am not following up the (meetings) of the committee and I don't interfere in its work.”
He said both the committee and the Syndicate Coordination Committee, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, fulfilled their promises by respectively studying ways to fund the pay hike and not taking escalatory measures.
Berri said that he only gave directions to Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, his aide, to facilitate the committee's mission.
“I am waiting for the committee’s report on Wednesday to see whether it has positive results or not,” Berri said. “We would amend it if it was not good.”
Asked whether he would call for a parliamentary session soon to approve the hike. He said: “Why not? There is no problem. A session can be held anytime we want.”
The committee was formed more than 10 days ago when lawmakers failed to approve the wage scale for the public sector over fears that it would lead to deteriorating economic conditions.
The SCC is demanding a 121 percent salary raise that would be effective retroactively. It has also rejected proposals for the extra money to be paid in installments.
Committee member al-Mustaqbal MP Ghazi Youssef told An Nahar daily that discussions haven't yet focused on essential issues such as the installments and a possible raise in the Value Added Tax.
But he said its members agreed to lower the pay hike that was first approved by ex-PM Najib Miqati's cabinet in 2012, a move that will likely anger the SCC, which has already warned it would take escalatory measures.
The SCC is planning a protest for Tuesday near the Central Bank in Beirut to push for the approval of the pay hike. It has already held several demonstrations and strikes.
SCC official Nehme Mahfoud urged all public and private schools to hold a strike on Tuesday.
He reiterated in remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) that teachers would boycott the correction of official exams if the raise was not approved by parliament.
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