Teachers’ strike mounts to sit-in at Parliament [Archives:2006/933/Front Page]
Saddam Al-Ashmori
SANA'A, March 29 ) Thousands of teachers and education workers staged a sit-in Tuesday in front of Parliament to protest against government's false promises. The government issued a new wage and salary law, which they say is unfair since it puts down teachers and education workers.
Protesters raised banners and chanted slogans denouncing violations and attacks authorities launched on striking teachers. They described such acts irresponsible and illegal.
The sit-in was held two weeks after teachers and education workers went on strike and ceased working in schools and education offices nationwide. This led authorities to take tough and irresponsible measures such as firing some teachers and preventing them from resuming work. Authorities asked police to help hunt and arrest strikers.
Yemeni Teachers Syndicate (YTS) Secretary-General Ali Al-Rubaihi pointed out that the sit-in is a reaction to arbitrary procedures authorities implemented against teachers. “This is a massive violation of teachers' rights ensured by law,” he said.
Al-Rubaihi noted that the second clause of Labor Law Article No. 48 states that penalties, including dismissal, must not be imposed on workers while striking. “Peaceful strike is one of the legal means for workers and their unions or syndicates to defend their rights and claim their legal demands if their issues are not resolved through negotiations,” he added.
“We've informed the government that we will go ahead with our decision to stage massive demonstrations in the capital and in other cities. We're not breaking the law, but exercising our constitutional rights,” Al-Rubaihi said, adding that protests are scheduled to begin Tuesday in Sana'a.
“Unless the government fulfils our demands for higher pay, demonstrations certainly will be carried out,” he added.
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However, a March 25 Interior Ministry press statement warned teachers against participating in planned protests. “This is an infringement of 2003's Law No. 29 stipulating that licenses must be granted for any protest,” the statement noted. “Those calling for such a protest are to be held accountable for any riots or other lawless acts.”
YTS initially called for the strike following last week's breakdown in talks with the government. “We're demanding higher pay for teaching staff and protesting against harassment we've faced to deter us from striking,” Al-Rubaihi said. He went on to complain of heavy-handed measures against dissatisfied schoolteachers, including arrests, dismissals and threats of salary suspensions.
“We've used all possible means, including wearing red badges and staging partial strikes, to pressure the government to meet our demands,” he noted. Teachers are insisting on a 110-percent pay rise, including allowances. Currently, schoolteachers are paid the equivalent of between $150 and $200 monthly. Assistant professors at universities are paid the monthly equivalent of $500.
Al-Rubaihi explained that the quality of education nationwide can be expected to deteriorate unless teachers' demands are met. “In a society plagued with illiteracy and poverty, the role of teachers is vital,” he noted. “Unless they are paid well, they won't be able to perform their jobs properly.”
According to government statistics, nearly 50 percent of the population between ages 10 and 45 are illiterate. The number hovers at about 30 percent among men and exceeds 67 percent among women.
Civil Service Minister Hamoud Khalid Al-Sufi expressed disapproval at the planned strike. “Teachers should know that pay rises are governed by available resources and the state's overall economic structure,” he said. With teachers representing half the country's civil service, he added, available resources are insufficient to increase salaries across the board.
Security apparatuses have taken illegal measures against several women teachers. A teacher at Um Salamah School said she received a letter from school administration suspending her from work because she went on strike.
Another teacher at the same school said the administration notified her that she will be given compulsory leave or fired if she does not stop striking. She said teachers face such tough and arbitrary measures for claiming their legal rights.
MP Fuad Dehabah commented, “For us, this is not the first time to see authorities commit such irresponsible acts against employees claiming their legal rights ensured by law.”
In a statement, a copy of which was obtained by the Yemen Times, many syndicates denounced police actions like blocking provincial capital entrances to prevent teachers coming from rural areas from approaching government offices to claim their rights. Police also fired at protesters to disperse them, as happened in Al-Radhma in Ibb governorate and other places.
A delegation from teachers, education professionals and technical education syndicates met a parliamentary committee headed by Deputy Parliament Speaker Ja'afar Ba Saleh to discuss teachers' and education workers' demands.
Both sides agreed that the three syndicates' chiefs could attend Parliament's March 29 session, but the three were surprised at being prevented from entering Parliament that day. Technical Education Syndicate Chief Yahya Al-Hakim explained that they agreed with MPs to allow them to attend Parliament's Wednesday session, but they later were prevented from entering Parliament.
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