Jordan: Teachers call off their nationwide strike

Jordan's Teachers' Union has called off its four-week strike on Thursday, according to media outlet The New Arab. Teachers in Jordan launched a nationwide strike on September 8 demanding a 50 percent pay increase, following days of protests in the capital, Amman. The suspension of the teachers' strike comes just two days after the government of Jordan told teachers to return to class or face salary deductions.

Pay hikes were offered by Jordan's cabinet to the striking teachers on Saturday. Facing huge public criticism for his handling of the strike situation, Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz announced pay increases ranging from 6 to 18 percent.

The offer was proposed as a bid to end a nationwide strike that has been labeled as damaging for the debt-burdened country that is undergoing tough IMF-backed fiscal reforms. The teachers' union, however, rejected the measure and criticized the prime minister.

The demands from the teachers came amid concerns of a new round of demands by army retirees and other public-sector employees.

Over one and a half million students in the country's public schools have been hit by the strike heeded by over 100,000 teachers after the government rejected a demand for a 50 percent pay rise of their basic salaries.