PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC -The Federation of Organizations of Teachers in Suriname (FOLS) Monday informed the government that schools should remain closed on Friday following the announcement by several groups to stage protest action over the socio-economic conditions in the country.
FLOS chief executive officer, Marcellino Nerkust, said that while a decision had not yet been taken regarding the participation of teachers in the protest, the matter had been discussed on Sunday evening.
The FOLS members include the Catholic Teachers’ Union, the Christian Teachers’ Union Brotherhood, the Surinamese Public Teachers’ Union, the Islamic Teachers’ Union, and the Union of Teachers in Technical Education.
The groups plan to protest the high cost of living in the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country and the decision of nationals to seek better employment opportunities overseas.
The FOLS has recommended that the government consider paying workers in the general civil service a salary of SRD10,000 (One Suriname dollar=US$0.02 cents) and a monthly cost of living allowance of SRD1,800.
On March 3, the FOLS sent a letter to the Government Negotiating Body making new proposals but, to date, has yet to receive any formal response.
“The state of the Surinamese economy does not give citizens a good feeling, and since Suriname has an import economy, the exchange rate will remain under pressure. As a result, the exchange rate continues to move upward.
“According to recent figures, inflation is already above 50 percent, and the exchange rate for the Surinamese dollar is around SR 35 for the US dollar and above SRD36 for the Euro,” FOLS said.
and then  Monday informed the government that schools should remain closed on Friday){kind=link}