Govt raises teachers' allowance<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government on Wednesday increased the
\nfunctional allowance of teachers an additional 50 percent, while
\nslashing in half the controversial structural allowance hike for
\nhigh-ranking officials.<\/p>\n
With the new increase teachers now will receive a total
\nallowance increase of 150 percent, with the House of
\nRepresentatives already approving a 100 percent hike in March.<\/p>\n
However, this still falls below the 300-percent functional
\nallowance increase that teachers demanded during demonstrations
\nlast month.<\/p>\n
\"The teachers will get the additional 50 percent hike starting
\non June 1,\" Minister of Finance Bambang Sudibyo, accompanied by
\nCabinet Secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak, announced at a media
\nconference following a Cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n
Minister of National Education Yahya Muhaimin said last month
\nthe average monthly salary of teachers was approximately Rp
\n650,000 (US$84).<\/p>\n
A senior official at the National Development Planning Agency
\nrecently said a 100 percent increase in teachers' allowances
\nwould place an additional Rp 1.7 trillion burden on the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Before the increase, the allowance for teachers ranged from Rp
\n45,000 to Rp 125,000 a month.<\/p>\n
Bambang also announced on Wednesday that civil servants
\nworking as medics would get an additional 25 percent increase in
\ntheir functional allowance, on top of the 100 percent already
\napproved.<\/p>\n
It was also announced that librarians and civil servants in
\nthe public service sector will also get an additional Rp 75,000
\nper month, while the lowest ranking civil servants will get an
\nadditional Rp 50,000 in allowance each month.<\/p>\n
The government earlier instituted an across-the-board 30
\npercent basic salary increase for all civil servants.<\/p>\n
Demands for increased allowances and salaries for civil
\nservants intensified after the government voted itself a pay
\nraise.<\/p>\n
The President's basic salary was increased from Rp 15 million
\nto Rp 26.7 million in April, with a gross take-home pay of about
\nRp 49.77 million.<\/p>\n
The Vice President's basic salary went from Rp 10 million to
\nRp 22 million, with a take-home pay of about Rp 40 million.<\/p>\n
The basic salary of Cabinet ministers shot up from Rp 2.5
\nmillion to Rp 12.6 million, while the basic salaries of
\nlegislators doubled. With various allowances, legislators can
\nexpect to net about Rp 9.7 million a month.<\/p>\n
Cuts<\/p>\n
While the news was favorable for teachers, librarians and
\ngovernment medics, officials in the top echelons of government
\nrealized on Wednesday that the net income increases they received
\nlast month would be significantly slashed next payday.<\/p>\n
Bambang said the controversial structural allowance increases
\nfor high-ranking government officials would be cut by about 50
\npercent, but he would not say if this had any correlation to the
\nnew allowance increases for teachers and other civil servants.<\/p>\n
High-ranking government officials last month received
\nstructural allowance increases of between 400 percent and 2,000
\npercent.<\/p>\n
\"The structural allowances for first-echelon and second-
\nechelon officials will now only be 50 percent of the previous
\nincrease,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
\"Third, fourth and fifth-echelon officials will only get 60
\npercent of the original scheme,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Under the original plan, top-echelon officials such as
\ndirector generals received a monthly allowance of between Rp 7
\nmillion and Rp 9 million, up from the Rp 400,000 to Rp 500,000
\nthey previously received.<\/p>\n
Second-level officials such as bureau chiefs received an
\nallowance of between Rp 3 million and Rp 5 million, up from Rp
\n200,000 to Rp 250,0000.<\/p>\n
In a related development, Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi
\nhere on Wednesday afternoon also agreed to demands from
\nprotesting doctors and dentists assigned to community health
\ncenters to raise their basic salaries by 100 percent.<\/p>\n
These newly graduated doctors and dentists are required to
\nserve in local community centers as non-permanent employees for
\nthree years in non-remote areas or two years in remote
\nareas.(prb\/byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-raises-teachers-allowance-1447893297",
"image": ""
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