Thirty civil society groups including organizations, parties, and unions in Jordan have blamed the government of Omar Al-Razzaz for the continued teachers' strike, due to its intransigence towards their demands, and its failure to respond to any initiative put forward by their association and mediators.
A statement issued by the civil society groups, joined by APN confirmed "their categorical rejection of the practices of the Jordanian government over the past weeks and the misleading media campaigns that aimed at challenging the legitimacy and legality of the strike, and holding the teachers’ association alone responsible for students remaining away from school."
They announced their rejection of the government's approach to addressing the demands of the teachers by confiscating their right for expression and a sit-in on September 5th, 2019 and preventing those who came from the governorates to participate in the sit-in, along with the arrests and violations that accompanied these measures.
The statement cited the mobilization of citizens against them through demonising campaigns in which some biased media organizations participated in addition to illegal punitive measures against a number of female teachers participating in the strike.
These measures show that the government intended to exacerbate the situation without calculating the results of these actions on the societal peace and on the future of the entire educational process, pitting students against their teachers.
The statement said, "It was clear that managing the crisis and not addressing it with the required wisdom is a pure security handling terrified of any organized peaceful movement. It is an inefficient way that does not see human security and the achievement of reassurance and social justice as the most prominent elements of security and safety and their guarantees at the same time, a handling that neglects the rights of a broad important segment of male and female citizens entrusted with the responsibility of our children."
The civil society organizations announced their full support and stand with the demands of the teachers, stressing that improving the conditions of the teachers and their job stability will positively reflect on all axes of the educational system that the teacher forms its backbone.
The statement demanded, "The government respond immediately to the demands of the Teachers Association to consider their action as a legitimate right guaranteed by the constitution and approved by international legislation governing workers' rights and the right to strike."
Furthermore, it warned against "the dangers of deepening the gap between members of the society, as students of private schools are attending classes in their schools, while students of public schools are left worrying about the discontinuation of education throughout this period."
"We do not see that ending the strike by a court decision will change the fact that their demands are legitimate, and that their need to improve their wages and living conditions is necessary to bridge the gap in class and social inequality", the statement concluded.
Signatories:
1. Jordanian Democratic Youth Union
2. The General Union of Independent Associations
3. The Jordanian Cultural Youth Community
4. The National Coordination Body for Change
5. Jordanian Women's Union
6. The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature
7. Tamkeen Society for Legal Assistance and Human Rights
8. Mawtani Forum Society
9. ‘Jordan is Stronger’ party
10. The Jordanian People's Democratic Party
11. The Jordanian Communist Party
12. The Popular Unity Party
13. Thikra for Popular Learning
14. The Jordanian Democratic Teachers' Association
15. Community Information Network
16. The Arab Women's Legal Network
17. The Jordanian Labour Monitor
18. Arab Women's Media Centre
19. East and West Centre
20. Phoenix Centre for Economic and Informatics Studies
21. Adalah Centre for Human Rights
22. Al Balad Theatre
23. The Arab Education Forum
24. Ahl Foundation
25. Sadaqa Foundation
26. The Balance of Law
27. The Arab Al-Nahda (reawakening) for Democracy and Development