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)