Today, thousands of teachers in the UK went on strike and as a result thousands of schools were closed, forcing millions of parents to look for alternative daycare for their children. Thankfully, my children's school didn't participate so school was normal for them.
Today was the teachers. Previously, the university lecturers, the postmen/women and the policemen/women also went on strike due to dispute over pay rise.
I'm thankful that no such incidence has ever happened in Brunei. I cannot imagine the reaction from our government :). But then the pay and perks in the government sector are higher compared to the private sector. Whether or not the current salary scales are appropriate (i.e. taking into account the inflation growth rates over the years) is however another question. I can see the dilemma our government would be facing if the current wage rates are found to be below the appropriate rates. If it raises the scale, it will further widen the public-private wage gap.
Don't take me wrong. I'm not asking for a pay rise. But I think it is unavoidable and equally necessary for some sort of study on the appropriateness of the current salary scale to be carried out especially in the light of poverty reduction. The results will not only be used to aid the poverty alleviation policy but will also be useful in other policies and most of all will be very, very interesting (at least to me!).
Salaam.
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Hey, you know what, Rogue-E, in the Bruneian grapevine, rumours have been going around for the last few months that Bruneian teachers may be getting special pay raises soon!;) (But no principals or headmasters dared to raise that issue in yesterday's special dialogue with the Minister of Education in Rizqun Hotel, I think). I should have become a teacher more than 2 decades ago:)
But I for one is a strong advocate for MINIMUM WAGE LAW and POLICY to be enforced by His Majesty's Government, especially in the Private Sector! I mean why local employers have to be so mean to our young Bruneians by giving them only 250 or 300 dollars starting salary for administrative or skilled labour positions when it should at least be BND500 - BND700?
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