Salary Protests Widen in Libya.. and Pressure the Dbeibeh Government

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The Libyan National Unity Government, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, is facing escalating social pressures as the circle of protests and sit-ins demanding salary increases widens, affecting vital sectors and large segments of society.

Teachers continue their sit-in for the second consecutive week, demanding better wages, while doctors and health sector workers join the wave of escalation, demanding salary increases, payment of financial differences, and improvement of professional and living conditions.

The demands have also extended to higher education, with the Libyan Universities Union announcing the suspension of studies at universities and entering into a sit-in starting next Thursday, demanding salary increases, settlement of overdue financial situations, achieving wage justice, and improving university conditions.

The discontent has also included retirees, who organized protests demanding the settlement of their entitlements and an increase in their pensions, amid rising living costs and the non-implementation of several laws and decisions related to improving their financial situations, especially in light of rising living costs.

These protests have taken on an escalating trend and a broader dimension, following the increases received by members of the military institution in Libya since last July, as other government sectors claim they have not benefited from similar measures, despite facing living pressures and rising costs of life, and they demand similar increases that include all state employees.

These demands have also increased pressure on the Government of National Unity, amid warnings against expanding public spending and approving increases that do not align with the financial capabilities of the state, which is suffering from significant pressures, especially from salaries that account for the largest share of government spending.

In addition, political analyst Mohamed Al-Raeesh believes that the state is unable to bear a new wave of increases, especially since the demands are no longer limited to one sector, but have extended to education, health, higher education, retirees, and other sectors.

Al-Raeesh stated in an interview with "Al-Arabiya.net" that responding to all the demands of the protesters could lead to inflation in the wage bill at the expense of development and could create a gap, especially since the state's revenues are almost entirely linked to oil revenues, which are irregular and usually affected by prices, production, and political and security conditions.

Al-Raeesh also considered that the dilemma facing the government is not only financial but also social, emphasizing that refusing to respond to the demands of the protesting sectors, while other groups receive increases, could lead to the expansion and continuation of protests, which will affect the regularity of basic services such as education and health.

The Central Bank of Libya had warned of the possibility of a deficit in the salary allocations by the end of the fiscal year 2026, due to the continuous rise in spending on wages.