1,000 teachers on strike in Bali<\/p>\n
DENPASAR, Bali: Some 1,000 teachers in the capital of
\nKarangasem regency, some 75 kilometers east of here, staged a
\nstrike that virtually shut down dozens of state schools on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
It was the first teachers' strike reported in the usually
\nserene province of Bali. Rumor has it that teachers in several
\nother regencies plan to also strike over the next few days.<\/p>\n
\"All teachers turned up at school, but they refused to teach.
\nInstead they just gathered in the teachers' room. At around 9
\na.m. the principal told us to go home since no classes would be
\nheld today,\" one student said.<\/p>\n
The striking teachers, who were coordinated by the local
\nbranch of the Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI), vowed to continue
\nthe strike unless the local administration immediately paid their
\nJanuary-to-July back pay.<\/p>\n
\"We should not keep talking about how important education is,
\nand at the same time neglect the basic rights of teachers,\" the
\nchairman of Karangasem's PGRI, I Ketut Kertia, stressed.<\/p>\n
The strike in turn triggered a response from some 100
\nhigh school students, who in the afternoon staged a
\npeaceful demonstration at Tanah Aron Square. They
\nvoiced their disappointment over the strike, and
\ndemanded that the government do something to resolve the matter.<\/p>\n
The students later met with the chairman of the Karangasem
\nLegislative Council, I Nyoman Matal, who then promised to put
\npressure on the PGRI so that teachers would resume work. (56)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/1000-teachers-on-strike-in-bali-1447893297",
"image": ""
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