Jordan raises teachers’ pay in bid to defuse nationwide strike, union unmoved
September 29, 2019, 7:29 am

Jordan raises teachers’ pay in bid to defuse nationwide strike, union unmoved

Public school teachers take part in a demonstration near the Prime Ministry demanding a pay raise in Amman. (Reuters)

Jordan’s cabinet on Saturday offered striking teachers pay hikes in a bid to end a damaging nationwide strike that has piled pressure on the debt-burdened country undergoing tough IMF-backed fiscal reforms amid concerns of a new round of demands by army retirees and other public-sector employees.

Over one and a half million students in the country’s public schools have been hit by the strike heeded by over 100,000 teachers after the government rejected a demand for a 50 percent pay rise of their basic salaries.

Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz, facing a barrage of public criticism for his handling of the strike as it enters its fourth week, announced pay increases ranging from 6 to 18 percent.

“It’s high time students go back to school. We hope the union will look positively at these decisions,” Razzaz said, saying that the hikes would take effect at the start of next month.

The union, however, rejected the measure and criticized the prime minister.

“You are imposing a solution from one side. This is an authoritarian method,” Nasser Al Nawasrah, deputy head of the Jordanian Teachers Syndicate, said in a statement. “We donate these bread crumbs to the government.”

The government, which used tear gas to disperse protesting teachers at the start of the strike, says the union’s demands would add to fiscal woes while the country grapples to curb record public debt of around $40 billion. The debt is due at least in part to successive governments’ adopting an expansionist fiscal policy characterized by job creation in the public sector.

Officials say Jordan can no longer afford to sustain a public sector whose salaries eat up the central government’s $13 billion budget in a country with some of the world’s highest government spending relative to its economy.

Strike leaders and the government who met on Saturday in the latest round of talks were in emergency session to discuss the government’s first pay offer in a deepening crisis.

The strike has turned in many of the country’s rural areas and smaller cities that are a traditional heartland of support for the government as a protest against successive governments’ failure to deliver on promises of economic growth.

The government has accused the teachers union of intransigence and of forcing its hand at a time when it says the economy faces a downturn and state finances are stretched.

Some officials have also accused union leaders of harboring the Islamist opposition’s political agenda, a charge which the teachers union denies and says was part of a government smear campaign.

The government fears new pay demands by public sector employees, including doctors, and pension hikes to army retirees would wreck efforts to restore fiscal prudence for a sustained recovery.

Jordan’s King Abdullah ordered the army chief of staff on Saturday to approve a pension rise for some army retirees that would cost another 25 million dinars ($35 million) as a first stage, state media said.

Syria’s Foreign Minister says Turkey continues to support terrorists Israel says three suspects in deadly West Bank blast arrested

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”