March 14 Slams Fneish for Decision to Delay Teachers’ Union Elections
The General Secretariat of March 14 questioned Labor Minister Mohammad Fneish’s decision to postpone Teachers’ Union elections that had been scheduled for November 23, “in opposition to the union’s will” and established procedures.
In a statement issued on Friday by the secretariat’s education office, March 8 forces were accused of resorting to obstruction whenever they feared they were heading toward a loss, a practice “that shows its popular collapse in the Lebanese society.”
“After the unjustified cancellation of student elections at Lebanese University, Minister Fneish is now trying to cancel the Teachers Union elections, which is the only framework to protect the interests of thousands of teachers,” the statement read.
The secretariat called on Fneish to retract the decision and immediately allow the union to elect their representatives according to established protocols. The statement said Fneish’s decision was particularly egregious in that it wasn’t his to make, given that only the executive bureau of the union had the power to delay a vote.
The secretariat said that it would continue to hold meetings to consider appropriate measures unless Fneish retracted the decision.