Four weeks after beginning to strike, teachers in Jordan returned to work on October 6. Educators across the country took to the streets to voice their displeasure with the government after a 2014 promise to increase salaries failed to come to fruition. The demonstrations began as an “open-ended” protest, in which teachers demanded a fifty percent pay raise. The Jordanian Government balked at these demands, saying they could not afford to pay that in the face of IMF-imposed austerity measures. Jordan holds a record $40 billion public debt, and has some of the highest governmental spending in the world relative to the size of the economy. In the end, the government and teachers union reached agreement on a 35-75% salary increase depending on the rank of the teacher. King Abdullah was fundamental in brokering the deal, as he stepped in to direct the government to reach an agreement with the educators. The government was initially averse to offering a large pay raise due to fears over other public sector employees taking note and employing similar tactics. Most protests were held near government buildings in Amman, where demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans. While the protests were largely peaceful, there were some small scuffles with police, and tear gas was used in some instances to disperse crowds.
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