Protesters demanding the government to refer the public sector wage scale to parliament for approval held a sit-in near Baabda palace on Tuesday as the cabinet met to discuss several controversial issues.

Protesters demanding the government to refer the public sector wage scale to parliament for approval held a sit-in near Baabda palace on Tuesday as the cabinet met to discuss several controversial issues.

Head of Public Secondary School Education Teachers Association Hanna Gharib told media outlets that the demonstrators are demanding officials to set a deadline for referring the scale to the assembly.

The protesters called on the cabinet to refer the salary scale to the parliament for adoption.

As the sit-in was held, President Michel Sleiman told the cabinet that the government will start meeting on March 21 to discuss ways to fund the scale.

“It might need several sessions” to take a final decision, he said.

“Prime Minister Najib Mikati is carefully trying to resolve the matter along with the involved ministers, the Economic Committees and the SCC,” Sleiman added.

The protest was organized by the Syndicate Coordination Committee, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, whose open-ended strike entered its third week.

The Committees have warned that the government's decision to boost the salaries of public employees would inflict major losses on the public and private sectors.