BUENOS AIRES, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Teachers from the Argentine province of Santa Cruz have announced a five-day strike starting Monday, after negotiations with the local government broke down, union leaders said on Sunday.

    After a teacher died in an earlier strike in Santa Cruz, the striking teachers, who are demanding a pay rise, occupied the local legislature in the province 2,600 km south of Buenos Aires and the birthplace of President Nestor Kirchner.

    The crisis appeared to be calming down after the deputy head of labor of the provincial government agreed to arbitration.

    However, hours later she was removed from her post and replaced by an official who would not negotiate.

    "What else have we got left now?" asked Pedro Munoz, secretary general of the Santa Cruz Teachers Association.

    Cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez called the strike a political move. He told a local radio that each month "a teacher earns 3,000pesos (965 U.S. dollars). We are not talking about... penury".

    But Munoz said that no Santa Cruz teacher was earning more than1,500 pesos, and that many of his members earn less than 1,200 pesos, the price of the staple diet in the area.

    The teachers are seeking 2,300 pesos a month, he added.

    The central government has sent armed police to the area, and surrounded the local government building with barriers.