Teachers wait for government response

Teachers wait for government response

TANGERANG (JP): Learning activities at state schools in
Balaraja district resumed as normal again on Wednesday after 200
local teachers -- who had gone on strike at the House of
Representatives the previous day -- went back to the class.

According to chairman of the Communication Forum of Balaraja
Teachers (FKGB), whose members joined the Tuesday strike, their
decision to return to the classrooms was done in the hope that
House members would take their proposed demands seriously.

"We're now waiting for the results ... and for the time being,
we have to continue teaching our students," Wildan, a teacher at
a Balaraja junior high school, said.

He, however, did not disclose whether he and his colleagues
would strike again should the House or the government refuse to
meet their demands.

The strike at the House by the Balaraja teachers on Tuesday
left hundreds of students of several state elementary, junior and
high schools unable to attend classes.

Wildan said that their proposal for a 60 percent hike in
salary, 500 percent increase in allowance and an overtime fee of
Rp 5,000 per class had been directly handed over to the House
deputy speaker Muhaimin Iskandar, who promised to submit the
demands immediately to the government.

He said their demands could not be neglected any longer due to
the increased cost of living.

"Our salary remains unchanged, while the daily necessities
have gone up considerably," he said.

However, the teachers strike has drawn criticism from a local
senior official.

"It is not necessary to conduct a strike. If they want to file
demands or complaints, they could file those through their
representatives, so that the learning activities won't be
disrupted," said Ismet Iskandar, spokesman of the Tangerang
regency. (41/asa)