Jordan’s teachers call short halt to strike to give government time to respond
The Jordanian Teachers’ Syndicate announced a temporary suspension of its countrywide public school strike, pending talks with the government.
After an emergency meeting on Thursday afternoon, the syndicate declared strike action in public schools would be halted until Saturday. Further action will be announced for Sunday if the government does not respond to its demands.
The protests have continued for a fourth week, despite Jordan’s Supreme Administrative Court on Wednesday ordering the JTS to end the protests immediately. The instruction followed Sunday’s judicial ruling that the action is unlawful because it interferes with pupils’ constitutional right to receive an education.
Signatories from 45 Jordanian civil society organisations, political parties and labour unions signed a statement in support of the strike on Tuesday.
Muntaha Rababah, 40, a mother and science laboratory technician at a school in Irbid, 90 kilometres north of Amman, said the decision to halt action was a wise move.
“The ball is now in the government’s court,” she said.
Ms Rababah, who participated in the strike to fight for a better future for the young generation, criticised the government for its handling of the situation.
“My country deserves the best. We love it, and it’s our duty to make it the best place for the next generation,” she said. “We ought to be working together in unison – the teachers, government and public – but the government has undermined that and handled the situation in the worst way possible. We are not opposing them – we are simply seeking our rights.”
Local news channel Roya published a video of parents protesting against the strike on its Instagram page this week, but has since removed it.
Ms Rababah said the parents of pupils at her school were supportive, even providing coffee and food for teachers.
Abdullah Alqaraleh, 31, a physics teacher at a school in the western city of Kerak, also said that parents have been supportive. “The parents have given us their full support, even refraining from bringing the children into school so that we are not under pressure to teach them,” he said. Mr Alqaraleh said he stood with the JTS whatever its decision, although he would prefer to resume teaching as soon as possible. “I think ending the strike would be a good gesture by the JTS to enable further negotiations with the government,” he said.
“Teaching is a sublime profession. Many pupils have graduated as a result of our work. Today, we see them working as doctors and engineers. It is a profession of which to be proud.”
According to local media reports, the Ministry of Education said teachers would have 15 Jordanian dinar (Dh78) docked from their wages for each day they did not teach. Several teachers who spoke to
The National said they believed this to be unlawful and were not concerned by the threat.
The JTS came under fire on Thursday after Roya accused teachers rallying in central Amman of assaulting its employees. The syndicate condemned the alleged attack, saying that “any individual actions do not represent the union”.