Teachers have made a bold statement by demanding salary increment that is pegged at US$1260 making a u-turn from initial demands of revision of primordial salaries that were pegged at US$540.Dubbed the 1 March lobbying, teachers stated that they will stage a stay away if the government fails to meet their demands.
Zim GBC News managed to speak to the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe(ARTUZ) President Obert Masaraure who confirmed the developments stating that the current economic state of the affairs seriously undermines teachers as they endure many challenges due to inflation and increase of cost of living.
“Our union endorses the initiative of 1 March collective job action and support the 100 percent USD component salary of US$1 260 as the state affairs in our economy, currently disadvantages the teacher. Inflation, price hikes, high cost of living have reduced our buying power. The United States Dollar is now trading at US$1:RTGS1000 on the parallel market and US$1:RTGS935 at inter bank, while teachers earn ZWL30 000 an amount way below the cost of living and basket of needs pegged at close to a thousand United States Dollars. So this is very unfair to the teachers as they are living below the poverty datum-line hence that is why we endorse the 1 March lobbying by the teachers.As a Union, ARTUZ places it’s weight behind the historic and revolutionary #Teachers4USD movement.”Masaraure said.
Masaraure also told this reporter that they will be laying their tools down on the 1st of March whilst waiting for the NJNC outcome and stated that they won’t accept anything less than the teachers’demands.
“So tomorrow our members will stay home and wait for the NJNC outcome. We will not accept any amount less than our aforesaid amount.”He added
This reporter also engaged the Educators Union of Zimbabwe(EUZ) and the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe(PTUZ) Presidents Tafadzwa Munodawafa and Takavafira Zhou respectively.
“Teachers are organising themselves outside the confines of unions to demand a living wage. This is at the backdrop of a penciled NJNC meeting , a platform which was dissolved sometime last year as it had lost relevance and not aligned to the current Public Service negotiation dictates. The employer always negotiate in bad faith and the teachers have lost faith in the team that represents workers which has outlived it’s term of office.”The EUZ President Tafadzwa Munodawafa said
“The unions have for a long time lobbied for the employer to revert to the pre2018 salary. However , teachers have since resolved that the cost of living has since gone up in the past 5 years.”She added
The PTUZ President Takavafira Zhou told this reporter that incapacitated teachers should forward their grievances to unions.
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“We are calling for unity of action by all teachers. Union leaders do not lobby for a stay away but incapacitated teachers can tell Union leaders that they are incapacitated and cannot continue to report for work. The employer must certainly pay reasonable salaries that can enable teachers to report for work daily. Teachers must not subsidies the employer.”Zhou said.