Teachers on strike for salary backpay

Teachers on strike for salary backpay

PURBALINGGA, Central Java: Continuing their fight to receive
salary backpay, thousands of teachers here entered a second day
of strike action on Thursday, leaving hundreds of thousands of
students without classes.

On Wednesday, the first day of their scheduled week-long
strike, the teachers held a sit-in protest in front of their
schools with their students present, while on Thursday many of
them locked classes and staff rooms.

The teachers have launched the strike to demand the payment of
salary backpay earned from January, 2001, which, up to July, had
accumulated to about Rp 6 billion (US$705,882).

Some of the schools closed during Thursday's strike included
the state SMP Bukateja I junior high school and a number of state
elementary schools in the Purbalingga Kota and Bojongsari
districts.

On Wednesday, Purbalingga Regent Triyono Budi Sasongko,
regency education office head Suratno and regency teachers'
association chairman Sudiman called on the teachers to end their
strike.

The strike has also started to aggravate many parents.

"If they continue with their strike, we will also stage a
protest rally against them. We have paid a lot for our children's
education. We don't care about their salary backpay, what we want
is for our children continue their classes," said 45-year-old
Ahmad, whose child studies at a state junior high school here.
(45)