Zimbabwe teachers said yesterday they will stage massive demonstrations and they will not go back to work unless the government reviewed their salaries.
The Teachers are supposed to go back to work on Tuesday next week when the schools open for the second term.
Amalgamated Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) secretary-general, Robson Chere, also said their members would be embarking on a go-slow. “We have resolved to embark on a series of protests, to demand a living wage. We have since written to the ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and also the ministry of Finance about our eroded wages.
“However, they seem reluctant to act and we are fully aware that the language they understand most is through action, and our members are ready for that
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary-general, Raymond Majongwe, also accused the government of spurning their calls for dialogue.
“We have communicated to government that things are bad. We asked them to organise a meeting, but they are not responding. Judging from what is on the ground, teachers are not going to teach.
“We tried our best to engage the government, and so they must not blame us if our members fail to come to work. We gave them enough time, but they did nothing,” Majongwe told the Daily News.
“Our members are just going to check in on Tuesday, but they are not going to undertake any duties. We are having a sit-in whilst we prepare to escalate the protest to a higher level.” Chere said.
Early this month, the government announced salary increments ranging from 13 percent to 29 percent, depending on grades, leaving the lowest paid State worker getting RTGS $600.
-Daily News.
