Jordan teachers secure pay rise, ending longest-ever strike after four weeks

More than 100,000 teachers had been on strike since early September across the kingdom calling for a 50 percent pay rise.

Nasser al-Nawasrah, the deputy head of the Jordanian Teachers' Association (JTA), said on Sunday that a salary raise between 35 and 75 percent had been secured, depending on teacher ranks, ending the strike in its fourth week.

He called it a "historic agreement" that sent Jordan's 1.42 million students back to school.

The JTA had earlier this week suspended the strike under government pressure, but had threatened to resume industrial action on Sunday if teachers' demands were not met.

While the salary increase for the lowest rank of teachers falls short of the 50 percent promised to the profession in 2014, the highest ranks will see a pay rise of 75 percent.

More than 60 percent of Jordanians supported the demands, according to a report by The Jordan Times published this week.

Jordan is one of the most expensive countries in the region, but wages remain low despite rising living costs.

The minimum wage is just $310 a month.

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