Teachers’ sit-in enters its third week
Libya – Wasim Kleesh, a member of the General Teachers’ Union, said the teachers’ movement, which began about 15 days ago and is continuing into its third week, has seen communication between teachers and unions to demand their rights.
Kleesh, speaking to Libya Al-Ahrar TV, which broadcasts from Turkey and was followed by Al-Marsad, said the education minister’s response had not led to agreements, pointing to a meeting of a group of teachers’ union heads in the western region representing the Government of National Unity, at which the government’s request to end the sit-in in return for promises to meet the demands was discussed, but municipal unions rejected that before genuine implementing measures were in place.
No start to the school year without clear steps
Kleesh said municipal union heads are holding to a unified position that the school year will not begin before the demands are met or a genuine mechanism for implementing them is clarified and what can be applied immediately is started, explaining that the demands divide into those that can be implemented at once and those that require administrative decisions and practical steps.
He added that teachers understand the sensitivity of disrupting the school year and do not wish to escalate, but said circumstances had pushed them to do so, calling on all sides for partial concessions that would allow an agreement opening the way for classes to start.
Demands that can be met and others needing decisions
Kleesh noted that the union recognises the government cannot meet all the demands on its own, as some relate to the House of Representatives and the legislature, but called for implementing what falls within the government’s remit, explaining that the main demands that can be implemented include the lesson allowance, granting the administrative staff benefit, organisational measures and involving the unions, while salary differentials and adopting a teachers’ law require executive and legislative decisions.
Financial problems and eligibility lists
He said the government cites, on the differentials file, the Finance Ministry’s inability to disburse the amount because it was not included in the general budget, while the lesson allowance, he said, faced problems related to eligible recipients not being listed and randomness in the lists.
As for the administrative staff benefit, Kleesh said he saw no justification for not implementing it, stressing that there are rights the government should not evade, and calling for concrete steps followed by opening dialogue on files that need decisions and further efforts.
