Amman comes to a standstill as teachers demand 50% pay rise

Jordan’s capital city Amman came to a complete standstill as thousands of teachers from all over the Kingdom descended on the capital demanding the government fulfill its promise of a 50 percent pay raise made during the Abdullah Ensour administration.

Mustafa Rawashdeh, the founding head of the teacher’s union in 2011, told Arab News that the issue of teachers reaches every home in Jordan. “There are over 100,000 members of the teacher’s union and this means that what affects them affects every single Jordanian family.”

Jordanian security forces would not allow the demonstrators to protest near the prime minister’s office and used tear gas to break up the demonstrators that gathered there. The tough policy against the teachers prompted protesters to call for the ouster of Prime Minister Omar Razzaz and the newly appointed hard-line Minister Interior Salameh Hammad.

Long traffic jams were seen all over the city. Many protesters said that the traffic jams were caused by

of the police, while the head of police speaking to local radio stations blamed the protesters. The government, which had refused to meet with the teachers, changed its tune on the morning of the protest, calling for an open debate with the teacher’s union.

Rawashdeh told Arab News that the government needs to be serious when dealing with the union. “The union is an independent body and any dialogue with them must be serious and realistic by all sides.” Naser Nawisa, the deputy head of the teacher’s union, insisted that the protest only took place after all other avenues had been exhausted. “The teacher’s protest today is legal and peaceful and it comes after five years of the government dragging its feet. Our demand is for the government to carry out its promises of a 50 percent pay rise and nothing else.”