Retired Lebanese army soldiers demonstrate outside one of the entrances to Parliament. (Credit: Wael Taleb/L'Orient Today).
The syndicate for elementary school teachers on Saturday called for an increase in salaries for all public sector employees amid deteriorating living conditions since the beginning of the unprecedented economic crisis confronting Lebanon since 2019.
In a statement, the syndicate said that it "agrees [with] and supports" the demands of public sector employees to increase salaries and said that it is the "best and most ideal solution" amid a decline in expenditure power.
The syndicate also called for the implementation of an agreement under which public sector teachers would receive dollar incentives for showing up to teach.
It also called for the "cooperation" of public school teachers to achieve the salary increase and called on those who are being harmed by the low salaries to form a united front to work toward this goal.
The elementary school teachers in their statement also condemned Israeli attacks on schools in south Lebanon.
Cabinet was expected on Friday to approve an increase in salaries for some public sector employees, including those in the Finance Ministry, prime minister's office, office of the presidency, central inspection and court of accounts. The exclusion of other groups of public sector staff from a pay raise prompted a huge backlash, including an administrative workers strike and large-scale protests by retired army soldiers.
As backlash mounted, the cabinet scheduled session was cancelled. No statement was issued as to the reasons for its cancellation.
Public sector employees have been suffering from deteriorating living conditions as the Lebanese lira lost more than 90 percent of its value amid high inflation rates.