After years of protests for better pay and conditions, Libyan professors ended a sit-in and resumed classes on Saturday, after the government agreed to increase their wages.
The agreement between the General Syndicate of University Faculty Members in Libya and the minister of higher education, Omran al-Qeeb, will increase professors’ wages from October. The agreement also grants the syndicate the right to reverse the suspension of the sit-in if the government fails to meet its obligations.
The minister of finance has in the past failed to include agreed increases in the budget because of tough economic conditions and obligations to repay government debt. (See a related article, “Libyan University Professors Are Promised a Pay Raise.”)
Abdel-Fattah Al-Sayeh, the head of the general syndicate, told Al-Fanar Media that the approval of the pay rise came after five and a half years of struggle.
The latest Libyan Cabinet Resolution will increase university lecturers’ wages by 70 percent, while overtime will be raised from $15 to $22 per hour.