Members also urged PTUZ leadership to continue engaging teacher union leaders inside and outside FOZEU, parliament, Education International and ILO over starvation wages received by teachers.
Members expressed that there will never be any meaningful teaching and learning in schools until govt pays US$540.
In light of the foregoing PTUZ leadership therefore reluctantly encourages teachers to:
- report for work for a limited number of days per week until we are capacitated by the govt.
- mobilise at school level in order to continue with the incapacitation struggle.
- remain ready for a fresh full-throttle incapacitation struggle based on mobilisation levels in schools.
- notify school heads in advance the date they will be reporting for work if they are not able to report for work by 22 February 2022.
- to get organised and be ready to take party in a Petition March to Parliament within the next 14 days with our full demands.
We also urge the govt to address the quandary of incapacitation that teachers are facing as a matter of urgency.
We reiterate to govt that given the levels of high incapacitation, many teachers may fail to report for work by 22 February and such teachers must never be deemed to have resigned. At any rate, govt can only cease salary for a teacher whose whereabouts are not known after 14 continuous working days. Such continuous working days lapse on 25 February. The govt has no locus standi to cease salaries of incapacitated teachers whose whereabouts are known. At law, only teachers that are absent from work for 30 continuous days can be deemed to have resigned.
Teachers and pupils are the best assets that Zimbabwe must treat well and with dignity. Govt arrogance and failure to address teachers’ challenges remain puzzling. As teachers, we must once again unite as brothers and sisters against incapacitation or else we will die as fools.
Venceremos
Dr Takavafira M. Zhou, PTUZ President
Raymond Majongwe, PTUZ SG
Zwnews