Dubai teachers reject school’s salary cuts, unpaid leaves

Teachers at a Dubai school have rejected a proposal from their employer to cut wages and impose unpaid leave as schools remain closed during the coronavirus lockdown.

The American International School (AIS) in Dubai previously said it would place some teachers on unpaid leave, and implement pay cuts for five months – April 1 to August 31.

But despite some staff refusing to accept the “offer,” the school  has said it has no alternative, telling staff: “due to the current lockdown of schools as per government regulations, we cannot amend our offer and therefore cannot accept your rejection of the same.”

A representative at Athena Education, the operator of AIS, said they were following “government regulation” in implementing staff decisions.

One teacher told that she was a principal earner in her family, and the decision from the school was unfair.