Public school teachers across Libya have extended their strike over salaries, unpaid benefits and working conditions, disrupting classes less than three weeks after the 2026–2027 academic year began. Teachers began an initial 15-day sit-in when schools reopened on September 13. After the deadline passed without an agreement, the General Teachers’ Union announced a nationwide strike from September 27. Schools in parts of Tripoli and surrounding municipalities have closed, while some others have remained open with mainly administrative staff present.
At demonstrations in Tripoli, teachers have called for reform of Libya’s unified salary scale to address differences in public-sector pay and rising living costs. Their demands also include payment of outstanding financial entitlements under Law No. 4, classroom allowances, benefits for school principals and administrative workers, health insurance for teachers and their families, and the regularisation of contract teachers.
Teachers’ union representatives say they want concrete measures rather than further promises. The government, meanwhile, says it is engaging with unions and working on a roadmap to address outstanding issues. Education Minister Mohammed Abdel Salam Al-Qreiou has stressed the need to protect teachers’ rights while ensuring students can continue their education. The dispute comes as Libya’s authorities are also discussing a unified salary scale as part of wider efforts to organize public spending and improve salary administration. The teachers’ movement has added pressure to Libya’s already divided public institutions, with unions warning that the strike will continue until meaningful steps are taken to address their demands.
