University teachers suspend strike [Archives:2007/1053/Local News]
SANA'A, May 23 ) Sana'a University Teaching Staff Syndicate decided that teachers suspend their strike from classes for two weeks after it reached an agreement with Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Majawer to address the unmet demands listed by teachers.
Suspension of the strike comes after Prime Minister responded to all the demands, which the syndicate activists listed during a meeting with him last Saturday, the syndicate's spokesman Abdullah Al-Azazi told Yemen Times.
He went on to say that Mujawar gave directives to the Civil Service Ministry to deliver hardship and updating allowances to the university's teaching staff, as well as tackle any limitations left by the new wage strategy. He ordered the concerned ministry not to refer the dead to pensions until reshuffling the job ladder, and to give teachers YR 30,000 as residence allowance with a retrospective effect as of January 2007.
Al-Azazi confirmed that an agreement was reached with Prime Minister, under which universities be financially and administratively autonomous organizations, and scientific research allocations be raised. The agreement obliged universities to suggest sufficient allocations for teachers' medical services and form a committee to be in charge of amending the law to extend the teaching staff's service age and suggesting possible solutions to disputes over land plots given to university teachers.
The Sana'a University Teaching Staff Syndicate called on its members to stage a partial strike for two hours per day from May 12 to 14. It released a statement warning authorities of escalating the strike up to four hours per day, and earlier this week the university teachers started a comprehensive strike from all the classes and are expected to continue the strike until the government meets their listed demands.
The strike was preceded by protests and appeals to the political leadership, as well as meetings with concerned officials in different government bodies, MPs and leaders of civil community organizations.
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