LEBANON: More than 100,000 school and university teachers go on a one-day strike in Lebanon to protest low wages and economic hardship

Record ID: 340230

  • Title: LEBANON: More than 100,000 school and university teachers go on a one-day strike in Lebanon to protest low wages and economic hardship
  • Date: 19th November 2008
  • Summary: (MER1) BEIRUT, LEBANON (NOVEMBER 18, 2008) (REUTERS) TOP VIEW OF CROWDS GATHERING IN BEIRUT DOWNTOWN TO PROTEST AGAINST LOW WAGES FOR TEACHERS VARIOUS OF STRIKERS WIDE OF CROWDS FLANKED BY LEBANESE SECURITY STRIKERS HOLDING BANNERS BANNER READING IN ARABIC: ''How do we build through education when education professionals and teachers are being fought against?'' TEACHERS U
  • Embargoed: 4th December 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Education
  • Reuters ID: LVA4464DOT7N5VVPP7BC9U7XSYZY
  • Story Text: Lebanese schools and universities shut their doors to students on Tuesday (November 18) as part of a nationwide teachers strike calling for better wages.
    Almost 100,000 teachers took part in the cautionary one-day strike which led to classes for about one million students to be cancelled as all public schools and universities, along with some private institutions, were closed for the day.
    Teachers were protesting against a recent government increase in wages that amounts to 200,000 Lebanese Liras (or about 133 U.S. dollars ), saying the increase was not enough to cover their living expenses as inflation spiralled.
    The teachers also demanded better pension and social security plans.
    Hundreds of teachers bearing placards and banners protested near parliament in Beirut accusing the state of attempting to resolve the nation's economic difficulties by placing the burden on the poor and protecting the rich.
    One strike banner read ''How do we build through education when education professionals and teachers are being fought against?'' Hanna Ghareeb, the head of the association for secondary teachers in Lebanon, said those working in education were the victims of an unjust distribution of wealth.
    ''They want to place the burden on the backs of us teachers while the rich and the owners of big companies and financial and real estate investors are exempted from paying what they owe due to the money they have accumulated as a result of the country's failed social and economic policies,'' he said.
    Striking teacher Nadia Yousef said the strikers were demanding their right to an acceptable standard of living.
    ''We are working hard and we are supposed to get something in return, the least of which is to have a good living. We are not asking for an extravagant life just what is our right. We want a salaries increase that is just, not the way it was done. Everyone knows that they gave us the increase but it has been deducted from other things, so it's like it never happened,'' she said.
    The protesters said they would send a memorandum of their demands to parliament.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register