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Non-permanent teachers in Gorontalo 'underpaid'
Head of the Gorontalo branch of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI), Nelson Pomalingo, said that around 10,000 non-permanent teachers in Gorontalo province were underpaid, with some of them receiving a monthly wage of Rp 200,000 (US$20
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ead of the Gorontalo branch of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI), Nelson Pomalingo, said that around 10,000 non-permanent teachers in Gorontalo province were underpaid, with some of them receiving a monthly wage of Rp 200,000 (US$20.6).
'Eighty percent of non-permanent teachers are only senior high school graduates. Most of them have been working for more than five years,' said Nelson, who also chairs the Gorontalo branch of the Confederation of the Indonesian Workers Union (KSPI), in a discussion held by PGRI Gorontalo and the Non-Permanent Teachers Forum, on Saturday afternoon.
Nelson said such low wages had tainted the image of education in Gorontalo. In this regard, he said, the KSPI and PGRI Gorontalo would urge the local administration to increase the monthly wages of non-permanent teachers to Rp 1.17 million per month, which was equal to the province's minimum wage (UMR).
'On the Mayday celebration, all non-permanent teachers will stage a rally [to demand wage increases]. We will also urge the government to increase the Gorontalo minimum wage to Rp 1.5 million per month and give a clearer status to non-permanent teachers,' said Nelson.
Meanwhile, KSPI chairman Said Iqbal said all teachers in the country should have equal status. 'There should be no second-class teachers in this republic whose monthly salary is equal to the amount of money rich people spend on only one meal,' Said told The Jakarta Post.
He called on both workers and non-permanent teachers in the province to stage a rally and voice their aspirations in the Mayday celebration.
'At this year's Mayday, there will be one million workers from regions across Indonesia that will go onto streets and fight for their prosperity,' said Said. (nai/ebf)
