Teachers demand years of unpaid salaries

BOGOR (JP): Thirty teachers from Yapindo Foundation's Ganesha School in Bogor protested at the City Council building on Wednesday demanding the foundation immediately pay them 12 years owed salary.

They claim the foundation owes some Rp 180 million (US$15 million) to teachers and employees of the school, saying they have not been paid since 1988.

"We want the foundation to pay our salaries and we want details on every pay slip," a teacher said.

The teachers met with Council Speaker M. Sahid and members of Commission E for social welfare and foundation representatives. The councilors promised to soon work on the case.

The group, comprising junior and senior Ganesha High school teachers, also demanded the foundation pay the balance of their salaries from July 1999 to February this year.

"The foundation only paid half of our salaries in that period.

"We don't want the money to be paid in installments," one of the teachers complained, adding that the matter had to be solved within a month.

The teachers said the foundation had repeatedly promised to fulfill its obligation and disburse their salaries but had failed to do so.

M. Sahid suggested that the group meet with Bogor Mayor Iswara Natanegara and the local office of the Ministry of Education and Culture, but the teachers rejected the idea.

"We have met with the mayor about this case before ... but still the foundation has not paid us," another teacher said, adding that the ministry office merely dealt with the school curriculum, not administrative matters.

Foundation representative Rusman acknowledged that the management had failed to comply with the teachers' demand.

"We will do the best we can to pay the salaries of the teachers and employees," Rusman said.

Sahid urged the foundation not to delay payment.

"You have to pay the salaries based on current values and economic conditions and deductions must be itemize on the pay slips," Sahid said.

After hearing the foundation's promises, the four-hour meeting concluded with an agreement to sign an accord on Thursday. (21/edt)