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While private school teachers were hoping for a resolution to the issue of pensions for retired teachers, the Union of Private Educational Institutions failed to meet Thursday’s deadline to finalize the agreement reached on Tuesday during a meeting at the Ministry of Education with Caretaker Minister Abbas Halabi.
According to Father Youssef Nasr, the secretary-general of Catholic schools, “educational institutions felt the need for more time to study the latest version of the agreement they received on Thursday morning.” He explained to This is Beirut, “Some establishments are still examining their situation and assessing their capacities. We want all establishments to commit to respecting this agreement for an effective result.”
As per the agreement, these schools commit to contributing at least 60 billion Lebanese pounds per month to the compensation fund to cover the payment of retirement pensions.
“According to the calculations, this amount should allow the compensation fund to increase the pension received by retired teachers by a factor of six,” said Father Nasr. This pension varies between two and three million pounds per month, according to Nehme Mahfoud, the president of the private teachers’ union.
“Private schools must continue studying this issue away from any pressure,” Father Nasr emphasized, expressing his “optimism” about the success of this process.
“Meetings will continue in the coming days” to reach a solution before Tuesday, the day the union announced it would begin a strike if the agreement is not finalized.
Appealing to the State Council
On Friday, Mahfoud asserted that the union would appeal to the State Council in this matter. “A law firm in Beirut has been authorized to file a complaint with the State Council regarding the decision taken by the government and its leader, Najib Mikati,” he announced during a press conference held at the union’s headquarters in Tripoli.
With this action, the private teachers’ union is protesting the referral to Parliament on January 12 of laws amending certain regulations related to school budgets and their contribution to the Compensation Fund, after being approved by the Cabinet, and especially “without presenting another alternative,” Mahfoud specified.
Regarding the announcement of the strike, he noted that it has been deferred until Tuesday “in response to the request of Father Nasr and other religious authorities to grant them an additional two days.” “If they do not sign the agreement by Monday evening, we will declare the strike open on Tuesday morning,” Mahfoud said, emphasizing that subsequent decisions will be made based on developments in the situation.
Seeking to reassure, he affirmed that “it was agreed that schools would bear all financial burdens under this agreement,” not the families of the students.
Mahfoud lamented, “Schools unlawfully collect tuition fees from parents in fresh dollars and refuse to increase their contribution to the compensation fund from 6% to 8%.” “More than 200 schools do not pay their dues to the fund,” he denounced.
Considering that “all objections to the law (voted on by deputies on December 15, editor’s note) are unfounded,” Mahfoud declared that the union is collaborating with the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, and his Vice President, Elias Bou Saab, to maintain the versions of the two laws sent back by the government last Friday to joint committees in their current form.
