The Lebanese University is threatened with “paralysis”… unless the coaches are...

Promises to reopen the doors of the Lebanese University after overcoming all obstacles early next week, clashed yesterday with the university coaches’ announcement of an open strike. With the exception of some colleges whose coaches are subject to “enticement and intimidation” by their deans to urge them to attend, 80 percent of colleges will remain administratively closed.The coaches of the Lebanese University are absent from the spotlight when discussing the problems of this educational edifice, as if they do not exist. And if they are noticed by chance, they are promised good things, and “these promises remain ink on paper,” according to what their sources say. And “the evidence is the failure to implement the promise of the former president of the university, Professor Fouad Ayoub, two months ago to give them social assistance worth between 500,000 and 750,000 pounds. While the current president of the university, Professor Bassam Badran, urgently approved half of the teachers’ salary of 2.5 million pounds, which was deposited in their accounts today (yesterday). And that was before he headed a delegation of them to meet the Prime Minister last Thursday.

Who are the university coaches?The Lebanese University coaches fall into two main categories:

– Trainers appointed on contracts issued by the Council of Ministers in the early nineties. These are paid monthly.

– Reconciliation trainers, that is, those who have entered into reconciliation contracts. They are paid annually.

Part of the trainers perform administrative tasks such as registering students, issuing results, supervising laboratories, maintaining computers and information systems… The other part of them assists professors in laboratories, often replacing them. Some of them also supervise TP courses, and accompany students in their training courses in hospitals, courts, schools, laboratories… and many other specializations.

مهمّشون

The problem of this segment of contractors is not limited to neglecting their most basic rights, but rather they are prevented from hiring or installing. Especially after it was followed by the curse of political interference on the basis of 6 and 6 bis. The appointment to a trained center turned into a door to political and electoral recruitment. With every sectarian imbalance, the parties, specifically the control of the Lebanese University, intervened and entered their affiliations individually and collectively, until the number of trainers reached 1200,” says coach Moussa Sweidan, “noting that there is no official census of trainers. Some of them are members of the educational offices of the parties do not stay. There are trainers with contracts not exceeding 200 hours per year. This is knowing that everyone is registered in the Finance.” Chaos prevents them from installing

This fact deprived the coaches of the opportunity to install and receive their salaries on a monthly basis. Where the Council of Ministers responded to the file of trainers, which was sent by the former university president, Professor Fouad Ayoub, to the Council of Ministers, due to the mismatch of the trainers’ hours, as it is not acceptable to install in contracts of varying hours, so that they return after that and set a mechanism that begins with 600 hours for all trainers, and rises with each year of experience An average of 10 hours, to a maximum of 800 hours per year. The coach’s contract stipulates the implementation of 600 hours annually, at a value of 40,000 pounds per hour. The value of the hour rises to 65 thousand pounds for trainers who teach in the halls.

Despite the fact that they are obligated to contracts of 600 hours annually, the pressure has increased recently on them to implement additional hours, with some of them reaching 2,000 hours. The justification, according to Sweidan, was the need first, and to convince them to install later and treat them as employees proven in rights and duties.

Salaries lose value

What could have been tolerated before the lifting of fuel subsidies and the exchange rate reaching 23 thousand pounds is no longer acceptable today. The trainers do not get the most basic of their rights, which is to receive their monthly salary. Even the salary for the month of May has not yet been received due to the bureaucratic mechanism in place. It stipulates the necessity of sending working hours schedules from the college to the university presidency, then to the presidency and then to the Legislative Commission and then to the Audit Bureau. “This process requires at least 4 months. It reduces the value of what we receive by a large percentage, especially with the rise in fuel prices and the collapse of the exchange rate,” according to Suwaidan.

strike announcement

Solving the university’s crises in Mafraq was met by an escalating position for the coaches, which stated:

– “Approval of contracts from the Council of Ministers with a review of the hourly wage. This ensures that the trainers’ salaries are paid on a monthly basis. However, this decision, despite its ease, is objected by some,” according to Suwaidan, “because it limits the ability of some to pass benefits, as we discovered Some employees in some ministries are trained at the Lebanese University.

Entry to the Mutual Fund, like other colleagues. Where the hospitalization incurred more than the value of his salary differences.

Giving an advance on the salary, similar to the professors and staff, enables the coach to at least pay the transportation allowance to reach the university.

Transfer of trainers to branches near their place of residence. Some people incur 200,000 Syrian pounds per day to reach their workplace.

– Pay the dues in an urgent manner.

“The strike of university coaches will paralyze two-thirds of the colleges,” according to Sweidan. “This is because our work is complementary to the academic work. The trainer is the one who attends the teaching schedule, he is the one who sets the entry word for the students, and he does the automation and registration work.” On the other hand, Suwaidan believes that “the staff of the owners are unable to replace the trainers due to their low number. In addition, political interference with some trainers will not induce more than 20 percent to attend. Some of the deans sometimes use threats, and sometimes enticement, by promising them hours of supervision. Or aid and rewards for running the work of some colleges.