Teachers demand civil servant status

Teachers demand civil servant status

LHOKSEUMAWE, Aceh: About 2,000 temporary teachers gathered at
the Lhokseumawe Council on Friday to demand that they be
recruited as civil servants and their honorarium be raised.

The teachers, some of whom have been working for more than two
decades as temporary teachers in the conflict-torn province, also
demanded that special incentives be given to those assigned in
remote and critical areas.

They said they received a monthly honorarium of Rp 250,000
without benefits.

Lhokseumawe deputy councilor Armia Ibrahim said the Council
would discuss the teachers' plight with the local administration.

"We were also surprised to hear that some teachers have been
working for 25 years, yet have not been recruited as civil
servants," he said.

The government launched last year a massive military offensive
against the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), a secessionist
group that has been fighting for independence for the resource-
rich province since 1976. -- Antara