Medan teachers demand salary back-pay

Medan teachers demand salary back-pay

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP):Hundreds of teachers based in the
capital of North Sumatra, Medan, thronged the mayoralty on
Tuesday demanding unpaid back pay dating back to January this
year.

Hundreds of students from more than 60 junior and senior high
schools joined the teachers grouped under the Communication Forum
for Teachers' Struggle (FKPG).

They insisted on meeting with Mayor Abdillah to discuss their
problem. The situation almost got out of hand when the protesters
refused to acknowledge an official, who claimed to represent the
mayor.

"No! We want the mayor," they shouted, swarming the room
leading to the mayor's office, where scores of police officers
were ready to stop them.

The situation was under control by the time Mayor Abdillah met
the protesters. He asked them to sing a song before starting
their discussion.

"I promise to have the back pay paid soon," Abdillah said to
the teachers, who looked dissatisfied with the mayor's
promise.

They said that if the mayor failed to keep his word and their
back pay was not paid by the end of this month they would stage a
strike and ask their students to join them in an even bigger
protest.

Teachers in many parts of the country have in the last two
months staged protests over unpaid back pay.

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said earlier that
the back pay of all civil servants, including teachers would be
paid before fasting month, which will begin in mid-November this
year. The minister said, however, that the government had yet to
find out where the money would come from.

Records made by the Medan mayoralty indicate that the
mayoralty had a total of 19,420 teachers, 7,270 of whom work at
high schools.

The head of Medan mayoralty financial office said that the
mayoralty would have to set aside a total of almost Rp 72 billion
for total unpaid back pay for civil servants under the auspices
of the mayoralty. "Rp 39 billion of which will be for teachers."
(42/sur)