The Dominican Teachers Association (ADP) that groups public school teachers said yesterday, Sunday 17 March, that it soundly rejects the 20% salary increase announced by the Minister of Education, Josefina Pimentel, and warned that “the fight goes on.” Union president Eduardo Hidalgo told Diario Libre reporters that he believes that the Minister of Education had made the salary increase unilaterally and expressed concern about the insufficient amount. Hidalgo, who led a demonstration organized by the Coalition for a Dignified Education, in support of the teachers’ salary demands, said that 20% barely represents RD$1,794, which increases the base salary of the teachers from RD$8,972 to barely RD$10,767.
He recalled that the teachers had eased their position a little and agreed to a salary of RD$13,500 at the meeting that they held with the Educational authorities on Friday, 15 March. “With the decision adopted by the Ministry of Education they are playing on the teachers’ confusion, since it is not true that the teachers’ base salary has been increased to RD$15,000 per session.” He added that what the ministry had done was “to apply a provisional compensation of RD$7,000 to an equal number of teachers who receive barely RD$8,972 in wages, because they do not have the right to earn two incentives, but that, although these will nearly double their income, the other 48,000 will not be affected.”