Lombok teachers on strike over compulsory 'alms'

Lombok teachers on strike over compulsory 'alms'

Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post/Mataram

Thousands of teachers in East Lombok regency have been on strike
since Thursday to protest against the implementation of a bylaw
passed two years ago requiring compulsory deductions from their
salaries, ostensibly for charitable purposes.

The strike has closed 400 schools ranging from the elementary
to high school levels. "We will continue our strike until the
bylaw is revoked," said teacher Eni Hasnidawati.

Besides demanding that the East Lombok administration revoke
the bylaw that obliges teachers to pay 2.5 percent of their total
salaries for charitable purposes each month, the teachers also
demanded the administration refund them the deductions that had
been made to their salaries over the past two years.

The "alms" bylaw was the brainchild of the Moch. Ali bin
Dahlan administration and affects all local government workers in
the regency, not just teachers.

The 2.5 percent deduction comes on top of normal tax, and has
been particularly keenly felt since the fuel price hikes on Oct. 1.

Protests against the compulsory deduction have been staged by
various quarters since the bylaw took effect two years ago, but
have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Despite the continuing protests, East Lombok administration
spokesman Sahabudin said they only involved a small proportion of
East Lombok government workers. He claimed the regency government
had conducted a survey that found that 74 percent of civil
servants actually agreed with the deductions.

Separately, West Nusa Tenggara provincial administration
spokesman Lalu Gita Aryadi admitted on Friday that the bylaw was
controversial. While the idea of donating 2.5 percent of income
to charity is required by Islam, enforcing this against a
backdrop of financial hardship among teachers could be considered
unwise.

He said the provincial administration could not intervene in
the issue as it came within the purview of the East Lombok
regency administration.

In a separate development, a leading educator threw his weight
behind the teachers' strike. The bylaw had only worsened the lot
of teachers and therefore should be annulled, said the chairman
of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI)'s West Nusa
Tenggara branch, Lalu Subki.

"It's unfair to force the teachers to pay these alms as they
are so badly paid," said Subki as quoted by Antara news agency on
Friday.

Islam requires alms-giving as part of the effort to promote
equity in society, especially at Idul Fitri. It also encourages
the haves to donate 2.5 percent of their income to the poor.