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From Inside China Today:

Police have arrested and beaten striking teachers in Jiangsu Province. Teachers from several high schools in Pei County, Xuzhou City went on strike last week, prompting the police brutality. In anger, students from the schools tore up their midterm exams in protest. Locals say the teachers went on strike due to unpaid wages, and wage gaps between urban and countryside teachers.

Tongshan County in Xuzhou City was incorporated into the city district on September 28 this year. But the pay rates of teachers from Tongshan were not adjusted accordingly. On October 12th, teachers from the middle school went on strike, and their salaries were changed three days later. This incident sparked teachers from Pei County to do the same. Locals told SOH why the dispute began (recording):

“The government has been slow on teacher’s wages for about ten years now. Hundreds of thousands of teachers are affected. The teacher’s salary is already low, but they still hold back on it and don’t pay them on time. The cost of living is rising, and the teacher’s pay stays low. For about 1000 Chinese Yuan ($150 US Dollars) a month, the teachers are struggling for their livelihoods.”

On November 13th in Pei County, a maths teacher was dismissed, and another teacher, Mr. Jiang, was arrested. Police claimed it was to “maintain social order”. Students began throwing books, newspapers, and exam papers in protest of the police arrest. The police then came to arrest students, but angry students retaliated and smashed police car windows. Local residents say (recording):
“The teachers were beaten, and some were arrested. The students became angry and protested. Both teachers and students are underprivileged groups in Chinese society and can’t succeed. If the teachers don’t teach, they will be fired, and the government will use force to threaten them. If the teachers don’t cave in, they will not release any imprisoned teachers. Its exam time and one high school did not have anybody there to monitor it. Also, the exam and books are all torn and destroyed.”

One local resident living near Pei County Middle School told reporters, the teachers’ salary hasn’t seen an increase for a long time, and many retired teachers went on to appeal to higher authorities for years but without any success. (recording):
“The economy is said to be advancing fast, but how come they put less and less emphasis on education? The teachers are struggling right now. There are many situations in other parts of the country just like us. Our country is ranked amongst the top 100 richest counties in the country. We are number 88, but our teacher salary is among the lowest in the province. There are many retired teachers who get together to appeal for years, but the problem remains unresolved.”

Another resident told reporters, the salary paid to teachers in the city is twice as high as teachers in rural areas. Rural teachers are outraged. The strike isn’t reported by media, and is under government control. (recording):
“Teaching salaries in Pei County are quite low – about 1000 Chinese Yuan for a new graduate. Those with 10-20 years of experience make about 2,000 Yuan. The cost of living is on the rise, especially in the past two years. Teachers in the city get paid 3000-4000 Yuan (That’s about $450 – $600 US Dollars), so the teachers here are not happy. Since they are struggling for their livelihoods, the teachers went on strike. When police got involved, and when the students saw their teachers being treated unfairly, they supported them and refused to take midterm exams. The midterm exams are supposed to be held on Wednesday through Friday, but nobody has taken it.“

Teachers at Pei County No. 1 Middle School went on strike on November 8th. In the afternoon, teachers at other public schools, including Pei County Middle School, Pei County No.2 Middle School, and Huxi Middle School all went on strike.

From Xin Zhou Bao via News.QQ.com:

日前，铜山部分高中老师罢课！郑集中学老师聚集抗议，学生全部自习。铜山中学老师全部坐在办公室，学生自习。茅村中学老师也罢课。棠张中学也响应。大许中学、职教中心等也正在酝酿声援。是什么原因导致罢课，原来是铜山区划惹的祸。铜山撤县设区后，教师和公务员都采用市级标准，小学、初中老师每月普涨近千元，而高中老师则被排除在涨薪之外。

江苏省徐州市铜山区的高中老师因对工资水平不满，近日发生全区高中教师罢课事件并持续多日。当地官方不仅未能及时安抚教师们及时复课，反而对老师们下达“封口令”禁止他们接受媒体采访，老师们则表示“会继续跟政府谈判，直到解决问题时就复课”。
罢课

2010年9月28日，是江苏省徐州市铜山县撤县改区的日子。

这是铜山县的高中老师们盼望已久的日子，但那天让铜山区所有高中老师都失望了。此前流传他们涨工资的消息，并未得到官方认可。

官方只公布了该区义务教育阶段教师和公务员一样涨工资，高中老师不在涨工资之列。

不满终于在10月12日爆发，最早是铜山中学的高中教师罢课，他们的举动获得了几乎全区所有高中教师的集体响应。

铜山中学的老师全部坐在办公室，“布置作业让学生自习”。随后“茅村中学、棠张中学的老师也响应不上班，其它学校也在酝酿中”。

“郑集中学的老师们聚集在操场抗议，学生全部自习”，铜山中学高三学生“曹操的外孙”在微博中称，“郑集中学分校老师则锁上办公室。就在14日晚上，“棠张中学三个年级的老师集体停课，大部分老师前往操场静坐”，他们以此抗议“区政府在该校召开紧急会议”。

其实铜山区的官员们14日两次召集教师临时代表谈判，并解释“因为义务教育阶段的教师实施了绩效工资制，所以可以涨工资”。

但老师们对这样的答复“很不满意”，他们一直在与政府继续谈判。一名老师称，“双方仍在僵持中，事态甚至有扩大的倾向”。

仅郑集中学，就有近50老师在14晚7时许在操场集中，最后“老师们和年级主任吵起来了，不欢而散”，老师锁上办公室离校抗议”。

缘起

10月14日晚，郑集中学一女教师在电话中告诉本报记者，“我早晨5时起床到教室，晚上10时半还要查寝，一天要工作十几个钟头。但每月工资不到2000块，连小学教师的工资都比我们高一倍”，她批评这是“同工不同酬”。

按照此前的说法，“铜山县被区划后教师和公务员都要采用市级标准”，在老师们看来“都是铜山区划惹的祸”。

但“铜山县区划后义务教育阶段教师工资跟着平均每月涨1100元”，而“高中教师却一分也不涨”。
上述教师称，“铜山县义务教育阶段教师的工资，去年已经涨过一次了，现在又涨”，她认为“去年就应该给高中教师涨工资”。

她表示，“在今年铜山县区划后工资待遇调整中，高中教师再次被排除在外，高中教师成了被遗忘的一个群体”。

为“帮老师维权”，“曹操的外孙”14日在微博上称，他到区政府询问情况，值班人员不让他进门，说领导都不在。当他被问及“是哪个单位的”，他朗声大气的说“我是公民”。他告诉记者，“我的目的就是要政府给老师涨工资，让老师回来给我们上课”。他透露，“副区长、教育局长、财政局长和人事局长与教师协商中，表示解决不了问题，如果上级有文件才能执行”。

答复

就在14日，为缓和老师们的情绪，一份盖有徐州市铜山区人事局、徐州市铜山区财政局、徐州市铜山区教育局三家单位公章的《答复口径》被下发到全区的各高中，政府对老师们的诉求给予了5点答复。

官方说明了铜山区公务员、义务教育学校教师、其他事业单位人员工资结构，其中义务教育学校教师工资结构包括基本工资、绩效工资(绩效工资分为基础性绩效工资占70%，奖励性绩效工资占30%)。

而其他未实行绩效工资事业单位人员工资结构包括基本工资、职岗津贴、省补、布补、节编奖、地方岗位补贴等，义务教育学校教师从2009年1月1日起实施绩效工资。

至于本次调整公务员与义务教育学校教师工资标准的目的，铜山官方称是为缩小铜山区公务员和义务教育学校教师与徐州市主城区工资水平差距，同时也是为其他事业单位实施绩效工资后提高绩效工资基数做准备。

官方解释了其他事业单位在职及退休人员没有提高生活补贴的原因，国务院出台政策对事业单位人员工资改革是分段逐步实行，目前只有义务教育阶段学校在职和离退休人员、公共卫生系统的实行了，其他事业单位自2010年1月1日起实行，但具体办法省市有关部门还未出台。

本次工资调整实施范围是公务员、参照公务员管理人员和离退休人员、已实施绩效工资的义务教育学校教职工和离退休人员，为安抚老师们尽快复课，官方还承诺一旦省市出台其他事业单位绩效工资政策，铜山区将按政策规定及时实施并分段调整补差。

但老师们认为《答复口径》就是“忽悠我们”，对铜山区目前的高中老师罢课事件“未起任何促进作用”。

封口

10月15日上午，郑集中学一不愿透露名字的老师对本报记者讲，“上面已经警告我们不能通过网络、电话接受采访，校方要求我们必须尽快复课”。老师们上午被召集起来训话，他们的“电话已经被监控了”。上述老师称，“政府给校方施压，官员们也给部分老师做工作，校方没办法就只能给老师施压”。

上述老师也表示，“其实我们也不敢说话，枪打出头鸟，谁说话谁就倒霉”。

郑集中学和铜山中学的多名老师明确表示“不能接受采访，我们还要过日子，希望谅解”。

为争取涨工资，老师们表示，“我们会继续跟政府谈判，直到解决问题时就复课”。“曹操的外孙”批评政府对老师下“封口令”，“不让接受媒体采访，监控老师的电话，这种做法很可怕”。

而铜山区政府办公室的官员表示，目前“江苏省高中阶段的教师工资政策尚未出台，因此导致高中老师不满”，他表示“铜山区政府正在积极协调，15日会发布新闻通稿说明情况”。

铜山区委宣传部的一名官员在15日告诉记者，“老师们的工资标准，都是按照国家有关规定执行的，可能是他们觉得有点低才罢课”。

她续称，“事情现在由铜山区财政局、教育局、政府办在处理，具体情况可以找新闻科科长赵开田了解”。而铜山区委宣传部新闻科科长赵开田则用办公室电话表示，“刚从北京参加完一个网络舆情培训回来，现在还在家里”。

赵开田称，“对老师罢课的事情也是从网上知道的，具体情况目前还不清楚，等我了解后给你回话”。

但直到记者截稿时，本报并未收到铜山区官方的任何回复。

本报记者 何光