Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – The Kupang Legislative Council agreed to increase the amount of a monthly allowance paid to teachers following a strike and street rally involving some 5,000 teachers in Kupang on Monday.

Early in the afternoon the council agreed to increase the allowance – which is paid to teachers in addition to salary – to Rp 450,000 (about US$50) from Rp 200,000 (about US$20) previously.

The rally started early in the morning when teachers left their schools and gathered outside the building of the Kupang Legislative Council.

The strike forced the closure of all elementary, junior high and senior high schools in Kupang, including those run by private institutions.

Some students, arriving for the first school day after the long Idul Fitri holiday, decided to socialize with friends on school grounds; others simply returned home.

"This morning the teachers told us that there would be no class today because they would attend a street rally," Mikael Taneo, a student from SLTP Negeri 5 Kupang, said.

Hundreds of police and public order officers tried to prevent the teachers from entering the building housing the council, where a plenary meeting was taking place.

Council Speaker Dominggus Bola and Kupang Mayor Daniel Adoe were both present at the meeting.

At 8:00 a.m. the protesters entered the plenary hall after breaking down one of the building's main gates. The teachers engaged the councillors, making reference to previous demands for an increase in the allowance. At one point the protesters took over the speaker's chair.

The protesters cheered as the council's leaders announced their decision. "We are not a bunch of beggars. We demand the raise because our workload is simply too heavy. We are glad that the council has accommodated us," coordinator of the Kupang Teachers Forum Dumul Djami said.

Annually, the allowance will now cost Kupang Rp 27 billion, the statistics suggest. The annual revenue of the city is Rp 21 billion.