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Burundi teachers back in class
15/03/2004 17:00 - (SA)
Bujumbura, Burundi - Primary and high schools in Burundi opened for the first time in weeks on Monday after teachers ended a strike, officials said.
Primary school teachers first went on strike in January demanding higher wages and they were joined in February by high school teachers.
The teachers haven't won the pay rises they have been demanding, but they decided to return to work to show their goodwill as negotiations between the government and unions continue, said Gilbert Ngezahayo, the president of the National Confederation of Teachers, which represents most of Burundi's secondary school teachers.
"If the government does not respond positively, we will stop again," Ngezahayo said.
Some 7 500 high school teachers and 17 000 primary school teachers took part in the strike, shutting down most of the small central African country's schools, Ngezahayo said.
Teachers in Burundi earn between $15 and $30 a month and have been demanding raises of up to 70% since late last year.
Ligue Iteka, a local human rights association, is mediating between the teachers' unions and the government.
"Negotiations are going on and we are optimistic," said Vianney Kavumbagu, the chief mediator.
- SAPA
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