| 11 Mar 2010 |
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Ministry, teachers in face-off over salaries
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JEDDAH: Eighty-nine cases have been filed by teachers against the Ministry of Education in order to win their rights, said Ahmed Al-Maliki, a lawyer who is defending the teachers.
He said these cases against the ministry were filed two years ago at the Court of Grievances in the Makkah Province in a single day. The Court of Grievances said Wednesday that it had held about 300 sessions with the teachers.
Al-Maliki said the court had issued three types of verdicts on cases filed by the teachers. It has accepted some cases and rejected some others. The administrative appeal court is looking into the cases rejected by the Court of Grievances.
The court has approved the right of some teachers to get higher positions and salary differences. "All teachers have been informed about the court verdicts," the lawyer said.
"The teachers should know that we have filed not one case but 89 for a large number of male and women teachers," he said. In some cases, there were about 30 teachers involved while in others there was only one or two, he pointed out.
"The statement issued by the Court of Grievances on Wednesday said the case was filed by a single teacher. This is not true. Teachers have filed a total of 89 cases," the lawyer said.
He said more than 205,000 teachers across the country were the victims of the ministry's decision that appointed them at lower positions.
Teachers demanded to change their positions and salary scales in accordance with their qualifications as well as the payment of differences in salaries.
In January last year, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah approved plans to create 204,056 new jobs in the education sector in order to solve the problems facing these teachers.
The royal approval came after the Ministry of Civil Service Affairs presented a proposal to the king to improve the situation of teachers holding lower job levels despite their higher qualifications. King Abdullah's gesture was aimed at improving the condition of teachers who were appointed at low job levels over the past 12 years.
Mona Abdul Aziz, spokeswoman for the campaign, said that teachers -- both men and women -- have been demanding these rights for two years as part of a campaign established to champion the rights of teachers, regardless of gender.
She added that as a result of the initial campaign, the condition of male teachers had improved but not of female ones, and so they decided to form a separate group to work for the same treatment. The difference in how the two groups are treated is attributed to the fact that women teachers come under the General Presidency of Girls Schools.
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI
© Arab News 2010
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