Jordan – after the JTA council announced its plans to call for an indefinite, nation-wide strike from the start of the new school year in September if teachers’ demands were not met, sources announced that the Prime Minister Hani Mulki will meet the Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) council later this week to discuss to discuss many educational issues.
The spokesperson of the syndicate Ahmad Hajaya said that “teachers are protesting recent amendments to the civil service by-law, which he described as “unfair” to all public sector employees, especially teachers, who make up 56 per cent of the total number of government employees.
Educators are also demanding the approval of amendments to the JTA law suggested by its council, particularly those related to the safety and wellbeing of teachers, the syndicate’s fund and its financial and administrative by-laws.
They are also calling for raising the professional allowance from 100 per cent to 150 per cent. The JTA’s demands at the time included changes to the civil service by-law regarding sick leave, promotions and leave without pay; investigating the Education Ministry’s pension fund and referring the case to the judiciary; implementing a “better medical insurance system”; bringing in legislation to protect teachers from assault; awarding them more financial benefits; and ensuring that they are given “better contracts” at private schools.
“We have been raising these issues with the Cabinet for a long time and have not received any reply yet. We hope that the prime minister will understand our demands,” Hajaya added.
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