Libya Teacher Strike Widens as Unions Demand Education Reform

Teachers in Libya have escalated protests over pay into an open-ended strike at public schools, bringing the national school year to a standstill.

The protests began on September 13, the day the school year was due to start. Sit-ins have been held outside schools and government buildings in the capital, Tripoli.

Two weeks later, the Libyan teachers' union expanded the campaign into a nationwide strike, leaving students across the country unable to attend classes.

On Sunday, several Libyan unions representing other sectors threatened to join the strike if the government does not enter negotiations to address the cost-of-living crisis.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah of the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli met with cabinet members to discuss a response.

Libya has been mired in economic and political instability since the 2011 uprising that toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The strikes are under way on both sides of Libya's political divide: the western region governed by the GNU and the eastern region controlled by the self-styled Libyan National Army led by military commander Khalifa Haftar.

In April, the rival legislatures of the two sides agreed on a unified budget for the first time in more than a decade.

What are teachers demanding?

Teachers say they face falling salaries, unpaid wage arrears, inadequate benefits and deteriorating school conditions.

They are demanding an immediate end to what they call the "erosion of workers' incomes," citing worsening economic and living conditions.

School principal Muftah Khalifa told Al Jazeera Arabic that teachers are protesting the government's failure to meet their repeated demands for higher, unified salaries, health insurance and protection both inside and outside schools.

Teachers told Reuters they face a range of problems, from a lack of computer rooms to desks and chairs too damaged to use. Staff and parents often have to pay out of their own pockets for equipment.

A key demand is the adoption of a unified pay system to close the wide salary gaps between workers in different sectors. It is also a demand other unions are backing.

On Sunday, Libyan unions said the system must take into account changes in the cost of living and the exchange rate of the dinar against the US dollar. Retirees have also called for previously agreed pension arrangements to be implemented.

The unions said no "arbitrary or punitive" measures should be taken against workers, retirees or union leaders for their activities. They also called on Libya's attorney general to act swiftly on any corruption tied to public spending.

What do current laws say?

According to an education budget summary drafted by Libya's National Economic and Social Development Council in coordination with UNICEF, 91 percent of the education budget goes to salaries, with the rest covering school costs such as equipment.

The education sector had 560,000 employees in 2024, including about 270,000 primary and secondary school teachers — a very large figure for a country of roughly 7.5 million people.

In 2018, the GNU passed Law No. 4 to regulate the salaries, allowances and benefits of these workers.

The law also provides for health and social care, illness and workplace accident insurance, and protection for teachers and their families.

In September 2021, the GNU ordered a pay increase under the law, but it failed to resolve the problem of unpaid wages.

How did the conflict escalate?

Thursday's strike announcement came after union leaders and teacher representatives from western Libya walked out of a meeting convened by the Education Ministry.

Ashraf Abu Rawi, head of the Tripoli teachers' union, told Al Jazeera that the unions felt the authorities did not take teachers' demands seriously.

The teachers' union warned the Education Ministry against reopening schools, saying such a move would only lead to further escalation.

The government says teachers' demands are legitimate but that students' interests also need to be considered.

Osama Abboud, a parent of two students, said teachers' demands are legitimate and that parents support them. But he also urged teachers to think of students' futures and keep working without giving up their demands.

Dbeibah's Sunday meeting with Finance Minister Rashid Boughofa and senior officials focused on a proposal for a unified pay system for all sectors and state agencies.

However, raising teachers' salaries would require a government decision, parliamentary approval and banking procedures. All of that will take time, given Libya's years-long legislative divisions, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Ahmed Khalifa, reporting from Tripoli.