Teachers in Central Vietnam Province Strike for Higher Wage

More than 30 teachers of Mau Lam Primary School in Vietnam’s northern central province of Thanh Hoa on Sept 6 quitted teaching to demand for higher monthly salary, state media reported.  Le Huu Hoa, chairman of Mau Lam communal People’s Committee said the agency received a petition from the teachers on Sept 5, who asked for higher pay and better regulations. Currently, each teacher receives a monthly wage of VND985,000. After subtracting social and health insurance and trade union contribution fees, they earn only over VND500,000 each.
“The salary is too low for us to cover increasing daily expenses,” a teacher said.
Leaders of Nhu Thanh district have met with the teachers and pledged to send the petition to the higher-powerful agencies for approval. Thanh Hoa now has 13,469 primary teachers and staff, of whom 10,335 are regular employees.  In fact, many localities in Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are facing the trend that more teachers want to leave schools for other well-paid jobs. (Tien Phong – Pioneer Sept 7)