BEIRUT: The League of Lebanese University Professors suspended Friday their strike, which had lasted nearly six weeks and jeopardized the academic year for some 60,000 students.

The announcement was made following a special meeting held by the league’s executive committee under the league’s president, Charbel Kfoury, and one day after the Cabinet approved a draft law to raise professors’ salaries.

“The committee announces the suspension of the strike and calls for the university to be opened to hold the second round of examinations and start the academic year,” said a statement by the attendees.

LU students who failed one or more of their courses can only register for the new academic year once they pass a second round of examinations which are usually held in late summer but were disrupted by the strike this year.

The statement urged professors to intensify efforts to compensate students for the disruption in classes.

The league called on the Cabinet to refer the draft law to Parliament for approval as soon as possible.

The legislation calls for increasing the basic monthly salary of professors from LL 2,075,000 to LL 3,700,000.

All professors will receive a one-time pay jump of two grades, with each grade increased to LL 225,000.

Professors usually receive a one grade pay jump each two years. The draft law also raises the minimum number of hours that LU professors should teach by 75 hours.

“These 75 hours are worth more than the basic salary raise which we got, which shows that we made sacrifices in accepting the draft law,” Kfoury told The Daily Star.

The draft law reflected an agreement reached between Education Minister Hassan Diab and the league.

Also Friday, Kfoury visited Diab and thanked him for his help in seeing the draft law approved.

Diab, who congratulated the professors, said the agreement was “the first move to revive the university.”

“The upcoming period would see cooperation with the LU presidency and its professors … to ease its path, achieve a revival and form a council,” said Diab.

The deans on LU’s council have been acting deans since 2004, a status that strips the council of much of its power.

Kfoury visited Speaker Nabih Berri as well and asked him to refer the draft law as soon as possible to Parliament’s Education Committee.

LU president Adnan Sayyed Hussein called on professors and students to resume work Monday.