Medan teachers demand salary back-pay<\/p>\n
MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP):Hundreds of teachers based in the
\ncapital of North Sumatra, Medan, thronged the mayoralty on
\nTuesday demanding unpaid back pay dating back to January this
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of students from more than 60 junior and senior high
\nschools joined the teachers grouped under the Communication Forum
\nfor Teachers' Struggle (FKPG).<\/p>\n
They insisted on meeting with Mayor Abdillah to discuss their
\nproblem. The situation almost got out of hand when the protesters
\nrefused to acknowledge an official, who claimed to represent the
\nmayor.<\/p>\n
"No! We want the mayor," they shouted, swarming the room
\nleading to the mayor's office, where scores of police officers
\nwere ready to stop them.<\/p>\n
The situation was under control by the time Mayor Abdillah met
\nthe protesters. He asked them to sing a song before starting
\ntheir discussion.<\/p>\n
"I promise to have the back pay paid soon," Abdillah said to
\nthe teachers, who looked dissatisfied with the mayor's
\npromise.<\/p>\n
They said that if the mayor failed to keep his word and their
\nback pay was not paid by the end of this month they would stage a
\nstrike and ask their students to join them in an even bigger
\nprotest.<\/p>\n
Teachers in many parts of the country have in the last two
\nmonths staged protests over unpaid back pay.<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said earlier that
\nthe back pay of all civil servants, including teachers would be
\npaid before fasting month, which will begin in mid-November this
\nyear. The minister said, however, that the government had yet to
\nfind out where the money would come from.<\/p>\n
Records made by the Medan mayoralty indicate that the
\nmayoralty had a total of 19,420 teachers, 7,270 of whom work at
\nhigh schools.<\/p>\n
The head of Medan mayoralty financial office said that the
\nmayoralty would have to set aside a total of almost Rp 72 billion
\nfor total unpaid back pay for civil servants under the auspices
\nof the mayoralty. "Rp 39 billion of which will be for teachers."
\n(42\/sur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/medan-teachers-demand-salary-back-pay-1447893297",
"image": ""
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