BEIRUT 

Lebanon's public sector employees went on strike on Wednesday to protest possible cuts in their wages by the government.

Hundreds of university professors and employees held a protest in central Beirut as parliament convened to discuss the country's budget deficit.

Protesters raised banners demanding the government and parliament to not make cuts to their wages, pensions and end-of service benefits.

Dozens of teachers also staged a protest outside the premises of the education ministry in Beirut against the cuts. Roads were reportedly blocked in the Lebanese capital as part of the protest.

"There is an economic crisis and we will take tough decisions," Prime Minister Saad Hariri told parliament, but without elaborating.

The public sector employees in Lebanon are estimated at around 300,000.