Protest Inside the Campus
Administrative staff, technical workers, and technical-institute instructors at Aleppo University staged a protest inside the university on 31 May 2026, demanding inclusion in recent public-sector salary increases. The demonstration followed a work stoppage by administrative employees at the same university on 24 May 2026, indicating that discontent had been building for at least a week.
Decree 68 at the Center
The grievance centers on Presidential Decree No. 68 of 2026, which granted qualitative salary increases to parts of the higher-education workforce. The protesters say administrative, technical, and institute personnel were left out of those raises despite working alongside the categories that benefited.
They called for the decree's implementation guidelines to be revised so that all qualifying staff categories are covered, rather than a narrower group.
Action Spreads to Damascus
A parallel protest took place the same day at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Damascus, drawing staff from Damascus University's technical institutes. The overlap pointed to a sector-wide dispute spanning more than one governorate rather than a single-campus complaint.
Calls for Pay Equity
Employees framed their demand as one of fairness across the workforce, calling for "occupational justice among different workers in higher education." Among those taking part were university employees Hayyan Muhammad and Marwa Abdo.
A Test for Implementation
The repeated actions, from the 24 May work stoppage to the 31 May protests in two cities, focus attention on how Decree 68 is being applied across higher education. The staff reiterated that their goal is to be brought within the same pay framework as their included colleagues.