Jordanian Government Reaches Deal with Teachers, Ending Strike

Some 1.5 million schoolchildren in Jordan headed back to class for the first time in a month on Sunday after the government reached a deal with striking teachers over pay hikes. Educators walked out of classrooms less than a week after school resumed in September following summer vacation, saying they were still waiting for raises that had been promised in 2014. As late as last week, the government was threatening to take legal steps unless the teachers went back to work. The deal reached on Sunday promises pay hikes of up to 60% starting next year. There is growing resentment in Jordan over cutbacks in public services blamed on a drop in foreign aid, and with the government’s capitulation to the teachers, there are worries that other sectors will now start taking to the streets to demand their fair share.