Idlib – Samah Alloush

Teachers affiliated with the Education Directorate in Idlib province issued a statement expressing their dissatisfaction with a decision issued by the directorate, which stipulates the disbursement of half a salary for the month of November, calling for a general strike until their demands are addressed.

In the statement issued on December 27, 2024, the teachers stated that the accumulating debts and economic pressures threaten their ability to continue, which is why they feel compelled to announce a strike until their demands are met.

Five demands

The statement indicated that the continued disregard for the teachers’ demands disrupts the educational process and deprives thousands of students of their right to education. The statement included five demands:

• Immediate payment of all overdue salaries.
• Cancellation of the 50% salary deduction decision.
• Providing guarantees against future salary delays.
• Improving the living conditions of teachers in line with the economic situation.
• Ensuring permanent salaries for teachers year-round.

The teachers pointed out that this strike is not a desire to stop working but rather a last resort to obtain their legitimate rights.

Promises of compensation

In response, the Director of Education in Idlib, Ahmed Hassan, told Enab Baladi that half a salary for November 2024 will be disbursed to educational staff, but this measure is not limited to the education sector; it applies to all job titles in northern Syria.

He added that messages had been sent to all staff that salary deductions are limited for the near future, with promises of later compensation.

Regarding salary increases in other provinces, Hassan mentioned that there is a disparity in wages between northern Syrian areas and those that have recently been liberated from the previous regime’s forces.

He noted that the average wages in the recently liberated areas do not exceed 17 USD, and the increase in those areas is an emergency response, stating that in the future, salaries will be standardized for all employees in Syrian provinces.

Salaries are not enough

The deduction of half the salary came as a shock to teachers, especially since the interim government in Damascus, which currently administers the rule in Syria, promised to raise employee salaries in the provinces by 400% following the fall of the Syrian regime on December 8.

In a survey conducted by Enab Baladi among several teachers, Mohammed Nour, a teacher working in camps in rural Idlib, said that the half-salary decision is “unjust” toward all teachers, adding that he earns 120 USD a month and pays 25 USD monthly for transportation, questioning how he can manage with what remains after the deduction.

Meanwhile, Amina, a teacher from the Jisr al-Shughour countryside, expressed her deep disappointment upon hearing about the half-salary decision, especially since her husband is also a teacher, and they are waiting for the salary to pay off some of their accumulating debts, noting that they do not receive any salary during the summer vacation months.

Salaries for teachers in Idlib and its countryside range between 100 and 170 USD, with a regular classroom teacher earning 150 USD, while an assistant earns 120 USD. The school director earns 160 USD, and specialist teachers earn 1.7 USD per hour, while assistants and institute graduates earn 1.5 USD.

Fadia (a specialist teacher in rural Salqin) earns 100 USD monthly due to not having enough teaching hours, and she has four children, needing 50 USD monthly for nursery and daycare fees and transportation.

Fadia expressed her and her colleagues’ dissatisfaction with a decision made under dire living conditions, especially in the harshest season of the year, stating that they cannot afford materials for heating or clothing for their children.

This is not the first time that half salaries have been disbursed to workers in Idlib and its countryside affiliated with the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), as this occurred in the months of September and October without explanation.