labor watch - j.t - Mutah University employees on Tuesday continued a work stoppage for the second consecutive day, vowing not to resume their work until the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research meets their demands.
Employees at the Karak-based institution started their protest on Monday, calling on the ministry to intervene and provide financial assistance to help the university overcome its budget deficit, and to take steps, along with Parliament, to enact a unified payroll system for the Kingdom's higher education institutions.
The workers are also calling for free education for all.
Although the protesting employees prevented students from entering the campus on the first day of their protest, the gates were open yesterday and students were attending their activities and lectures, according to second-year engineering student, Abbas Nawaiseh, a member of the Alliance for Change, which advocates for students' rights.
"Despite the employees' protest, we were allowed in today [Tuesday]," he said, noting that members of the alliance and other student activist groups at the university support the employees' demands.
"We also call for having free education and saving the university, which is suffering from a financial crisis," Nawaiseh told The Jordan Times yesterday.
Hekmat Qatawneh, a representative of the employees, said the doors will remain open for students, but the employees will continue their strike.
"Universities should be a priority for the government, and we hope that Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh will look into this issue," he added.
Meanwhile, Mutah University President Abdul Rahim Hnaiti said that both the premier and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Rowaida Maaitah had promised to review the university's needs and employees' demands.
Both Khasawneh and Maaitah were on an official visit to Libya yesterday and could not be reached for comment.
He expressed hope that the protest would not have an adverse impact on the educational process, or lead to more financial problems.
Earlier this week, Hnaiti told The Jordan Times that the university's budget deficit for this year is JD17 million, and it cannot even pay its employees' salaries until the end of the year.
"The annual salaries of employees are JD37 million, and our revenues will only reach JD26 million," he said.
Main Menu
Related Sites
