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.