Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid has criticised the decision by teachers to strike for higher wages, saying that their action could damage the country's economic recovery.

His comments were clearly a response to a series of protests by state school teachers across the country demanding a 300 per cent pay hike and an increase in their daily allowance.

Speaking to reporters in Havana, Cuba, the President said it would be unacceptable for teachers to go on strike if their demands are not heeded. "Teachers should understand. Although they have rights, expressing their opinions does not always mean they are free to go on strike," the Indonesian Observer newspaper quoted him as saying. He added that the strike will stall the country's recovery efforts, stressing that a teacher's strike would disturb many people.

His comments come as Education Minister Yahya Muhaimin promised to fight on teachers' behalf and to try to double their salaries. But the minister said he had no idea where that money would come from. "I beg the teachers not to continue their strike. God willing, the government will be able to improve their situation," he said.

Unimpressed protesters said that they would continue with their agenda and dozens of schools south of Jakarta closed their doors yesterday as thousands of teachers entered the second day of a three-day strike. However, only 7,000 teachers of an estimated 1.5 million across Indonesia were off the job.

Teachers have been among the lowest paid of public servants for many years in Indonesia and for many teachers of state schools, monthly salaries do not cover their daily needs. A teacher with nine years of service, for example, may earn as little as the equivalent of US$22 a month.