Secondary and Primary Education Unions: Mandatory Weekly Absence Every Friday

Announced by the "Secondary Education Teachers Union" and the "Public Primary Education Teachers Union" in Lebanon, "a mandatory weekly absence from attendance and work for teachers and instructors attached to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Lebanese University, the Educational Research and Development Center, teacher centers, and educational regions, every Friday starting from this date until further notice, amid the worsening living crisis and astronomical transportation costs, after it has become impossible for teachers to afford reaching their workplaces, with these costs consuming what little remains of their ability to endure, and given the impossibility of continuing full attendance."

In a statement, the unions called on "relevant parties and competent official bodies to urgently implement fundamental solutions to the deteriorating living conditions and the transportation allowance issue, specifically: establishing a fair salary scale and wage structure that accounts for inflation rates and restores the actual purchasing power of salaries, increasing the daily transportation allowance per liter, and raising the monthly fuel allowance for teachers and instructors in line with fluctuating prices and the ongoing rise in gasoline prices per liter."

They concluded: "We place all responsible officials before their national and educational responsibilities; the dignity and financial stability of teachers are the red line and the essential precondition for sustaining the educational process."