Libyan teachers’ strike escalates as union demands major education reforms
Public schools across Libya are affected by an open-ended strike, with teachers’ protests over pay expanding into a nationwide stoppage that has left students out of classrooms.
The teachers’ union says the government has not answered repeated requests for higher, standardized salaries, health insurance and safety protections at and away from school, principal Muftah Khalifa told Al Jazeera Arabic.
A central demand is a common pay system to narrow wage gaps among workers in different sectors. Other unions have joined the call for changes to workers’ incomes and conditions.
Unions have also urged authorities not to punish workers, retirees or union leaders for their activities, and asked the attorney general to move quickly on suspected corruption in public spending.
The dispute unfolds amid prolonged political and economic instability following the 2011 uprising. Although rival legislative bodies agreed on a shared budget in April, the article does not say when the strike may end; students remain out of class.
Key points
- Teachers’ nationwide strike has disrupted public-school classes across Libya.
- Their demands include unified wages, health insurance and stronger protections.
- Other unions back reforms and oppose punitive action against workers and union leaders.