Salam government to address budget, LU contract teachers next week

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Thursday that the Cabinet would hold several consecutive sessions next week to present and review the draft state budget, and that the issue of granting full-time status to Lebanese University (LU) professors would be brought before the government next Thursday.

This announcement comes as LU contract professors protested in front of the Grand Serail, alongside the Cabinet meeting, to demand approval for their transition to full-time status. For the first time since 2014, the Cabinet had reactivated the file for LU contract professors by granting full-time status to 1,690 of them, in four waves and under certain conditions.

"Nevertheless, deadlines keep passing without any final decision being taken, while teachers continue their educational mission under extremely difficult economic and professional conditions," said Hamed Hamed, speaking on behalf of the teachers. The protesters denounced repeated postponements and now demand the approval and publication of all concerned names, as well as a "clear and binding" timetable for implementing all four waves.

"We are raising our voices to defend a legitimate right, the dignity of university professors, and the future and national role of LU. Our mobilization is not meant to disrupt [the institution's operations], but results from several years of waiting and procrastination over an important academic and national file," added Hamed.

LU contract teachers have for years denounced their salary conditions, which have driven many to leave for jobs abroad or at private universities. While a tenured or permanent instructor earns between $2,000 and $2,500 a month, with family allowances, end-of-service indemnities, medical coverage, etc., contract professors are paid hourly, often with several months' delay.

Regarding the budget, the Finance Ministry submitted the 2027 draft budget to the government at the end of August. It projects $6.87 billion in spending, a 15% increase over the 2026 budget, with no projected deficit. The document includes a hike in certain taxes and fees, notably a fourfold increase in the annual flat tax on holdings and offshore companies.

The Ministry asserts that it prepared the draft with "budget discipline" in mind, while maintaining a certain level of social spending and allocating an emergency reconstruction margin. The project must now be reviewed and approved by the Cabinet before being sent to Parliament.

At the end of the Cabinet meeting, Information Minister Paul Morcos said the government first examined the situation of farms and slaughterhouses near Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport (RHIA) because of avian risk and as part of measures to protect health, environmental safety, and aviation security.

In early August, the Cabinet had tasked the Agriculture Ministry with taking "immediate measures" to close farms and slaughterhouses within a five-kilometer radius around the airport. This decision angered poultry and cattle farming unions, who claim they are being unfairly targeted and point instead to the Costa Brava coastal landfill and Ghadir river pollution as the main causes of birds gathering near the airport.

Morcos specified that the Salam government decided to ask the relevant ministries and authorities to take necessary measures against farms and slaughterhouses operating "without legal authorization within the airport perimeter, as well as those that have authorization but exceed its limits or do not comply with the conditions and standards imposed by relevant laws and regulations."

Regarding the second aspect, which concerns duly authorized farms and slaughterhouses, the Cabinet decided to form a committee including the Interior, Agriculture, Industry, Environment, Health, and Public Works ministries. The committee will examine the section of the Agriculture Ministry's report relating to establishments with authorization that comply with all required procedures and standards, and then submit its recommendations.