China: Teacher strike · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Teachers in Huadu, an outlying suburb of Southern China metropolis Guangzhou went on strike yesterday in front of the local district government building yesterday, calling for higher wages.
A thorough look through Google search results for “Huadu” “teacher” and “protest” suggests a media blackout, which the teachers seem to have expected, as the story has been reported on closely at the 21Teacher internet forum, at least until comments were turned off early this afternoon. Of net news sites, GoldenGoat Net, Sina and Netease have run stories, some of which have since been deleted, along with other bbs forum and blog posts. Posts at 21Teacher estimate that between seven hundred to a thousand teachers appeared on the Huadu Plaza steps at nine this morning, and four hundred patrol and riot police—who some spectators say got violent with at least one teacher—being surrounded by spectators reportedly numbering between two to ten thousand, many of which it was speculated were also teachers. One statement not being refuted online is that the teachers have remained peaceful, breaking their “silent sit-in” only to sing The Internationale.
Chances are the PLA would be sent in to ‘negotiate’ if China's state unions went and tried to organize activities on behalf of their members, so what, asks forum member lhghk123, might have instigated this? An misinterpreted signal from the top, it seems, from someone who probably meant every word he said:
不知道此次事件会如何发展，但我听到了很多教师的谈论，他们担心受到政府的不明不白的处理，受到迫害。作为花都区的一名普通居民，也是考虑到我的孩子将来还有老师来教导他
…
前天，即2006年12月31日，中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席胡锦涛来到国家扶贫开发工作重点县–河北省承德市围场满族蒙古族自治县考察经济社会发展情况，看望慰问基层干部群众。在御道口寄宿制小学，胡锦涛对老师说：”我向你们表示深深的敬意。”同时，他要求各级党委和政府热情关心工作在农村特别是贫困地区农村的老师们，为他们创造更好的工作、学习、生活条件。
There's no union to better articulate the demands but according to forum poster hdjs, they are for education officials to:
重视教师待遇，籍创建教育强区之机增加工资收入和医保等福利待遇。
Didn't take long for the cops to show up, and 21Teacher user tys123 was there to take some photos:
Commenter Huadu Watch (花都关注):
请注意保护我们的同行,最好不要发那些能看得清楚教师真面目的图吧!上网要有点意识!虽然说你不发,拍得人有很多,但是请注意一下吧!
Commenter May All Your Wishes Come True (心想事成):
近几年的区人大会议，我们的教师代表所提出的改善教师待遇问题都没有得到妥善的解决，迫于政府的权威，没有人敢代表教师去跟政府领导谈判，因为怕事后报复，如此以来，有谁能告诉我们还有更合法的方式来解决吗？
According to another post from Huadu Watch, a peaceful sit-in protest is fully within their rights according to point nine of article seventy-six of the sixth chapter of the most recent update to Mandatory Education Law, implemented on September 7, 2006, which reads:
当政府不能按时足额发工资待遇时， 有权集体到同级政府门口静坐示威，督促同级政府尽快支付工资待遇。20天后还不能支付时，有权集体到上一级政府门口静坐示威，直到解决问题为止。
To which user ‘student’ says:
《中华人民共和国集会游行示威法》第二十八条的规定：未经许可的集会、游行、示威，由公安机关给予负责人和直接责任人员警告或者15日以下拘留，有犯罪行为的依照刑法追究刑事责任。
Shortly before 21Teacher stopped allowing new posts and comments and information from teachers and those at the scene from sharing the latest updates, user 20070101 wrote:
最新消息!今天下午3点各学校派教师代表去区委开会.大家看看区里的意图再说.先冷静别冲动 ,是大家的事,不能只考虑自己.别把事情弄僵了.
But 21Teacher wasn't the only website censoring news of the event, according to poster ‘orange'; just the nicest:
从昨天晚上到今天一早就在关注这个事件,很多网站论坛都有关于这事件的转述.但是 ,很快就随即被某些人关闭了~~~~掩耳盗铃的现代版
Blackout imposed on media means citizen reporting of the event has limits. User ‘teacher’ posts some financial details regarding Huadu from one news website dating back to the first financial quarter of 2006:
今年1月—4月，花都区的财政一般预算收入累计达 6.0233亿元，同比增长103.03%，其增长速度在广州市属十二个区县中名列第一。在财税收入增加的情况下，今年花都的公关财政开支也将增大，其中包括拿出4000万元为该区教师加薪…
Confirming that, some bloggers pointed out that teachers in Huadu saw salaries raised last year by 300 yuan, or USD 38 per month, but was it enough? Other bloggers have mentioned vast disparities exist between salaries for teachers in Huadu and those in other districts, although no figures have yet been given on 21Teacher.
Not all the commenters agree with the striking teachers, like one anonymouse user who posted ‘Several Reasons Not To Give Teachers A Pay Raise’:
不给教师涨工资的几条理由:
1.中国的教育制度本不平等,国家的教育经费原本不多,若教师再涨工资,想必只有从学生身上收取,对于经济并不发达的地区的学生家里,无疑给他们增加了负担.
2.在许多贫困地区,仍有很多的孩子上不起学,读不起书,教师少拿一些,把这些钱给孩子读书,中国有少一些文盲,何乐而不为.
3.教师这职业本身就有奉献精神,既然选择了这行业,就应有这情操.
4.当今,有许多教师在家开办课堂收学生,一节课收费不等,初中20~30元,高中40~70元,大学导师更加贵.
5.在城市里,老师开着车上班,住着商品房,在一些所谓的名校中是极为普遍的事,难道,这还要涨工资吗?
若真要涨工资,应给山村教师涨,因为他们是最无私的.
If raises are really needed, it should be given to teachers in the hills and villages, because they are the most selfless.
Many more photos from the sit-in here and here.