I Choose to Forfeit My Accommodations Package? That's News to Me!!

     We were informed earlier in the school year (2012) that we would not be provided with housing anymore here in Jakarta through the school, even though our contract (for most of us) says that we will have accommodations provided to us. The school has said that they will give us a housing allowance of about $2,500 USD for the year.
     Just a week ago, the teachers at PIK (me) heard that the other campus (KJ) would receive a higher housing allowance than us. How is that fair to the rest of us at all? We all live in Jakarta, it is not cheap. Their basis on this increase for the other school is that they live in an area that is more expensive than us teachers in PIK....It's not my fault that they chose to house the teachers in expensive apartment buildings that are a lot newer/nicer than the apartment building that I live in. I live in a building that is 10+ years old, but the benefit of that is, the space is much, much larger. All of the new apartment buildings these days have tiny units that you can try and hold two people in.
     The teachers teaching at PIK that live in City Resort are sharing a 2 bedroom that is tiny. The little room in their units fits a bed, which allows you a little walking room. That's it. The other bedroom is okay, but the units do not seem like they are meant for two people at all. We all just want to be comfortable while we are here.
     So, if the teachers in KJ live in a more expensive area, those of us in PIK can't help that. We just don't think the $2,500 USD is sufficient for us to cover the bills that we need to after paying the fees just to live in the building. They did not take our extra expenses into consideration when calculating these figures. The service fee for living in the building has been increased and also the rate for electricity. As of right now we are getting an allowance for water and electricity where if we go over a certain usage amount, we have to pay the excess. Next year, we will have to pay all of it out of pocket, because there won't be any of the housing allowance left to help cover these things.
     I am just very disappointed that I am getting stressed out about something that I shouldn't have to worry about. Why should I be worrying about how much money I am going to have to pay out of pocket next year, when this school told me at the recruitment fair, that I would be provided with two years of housing that is paid for?
     I really hope they understand that what they are doing is not right, and I really hope they take all of the teachers' points into consideration when making a decision. I am not only fighting for myself, but for other teachers that I know are very concerned with this situation.
     The story behind the title of my post...We received an addendum to our contract today at school and one of the first lines says, "I choose to forfeit my accommodations package that was originally stated in my contract..." Uh...when did I choose this? One teacher asked if we could get the language changed to say, "I am being forced to forfeit my accommodations package..." I am refusing to sign this right now along with a lot of other teachers. I hope this makes them realise that we are being very serious about this and that we are very unhappy about all of this.
     Now that I am done with my rant about housing...on with the rest of the week. Only two more days, Friday and Saturday maths course, and then my weekend can start. Bring it on!!