Teachers Strike As Schools Open

By Vusumuzi Sifile

THE third school term took off to a false start on Tuesday after thousands of teachers stayed at home in yet another protest over meagre salaries they are paid by the government.

Two of the country’s leading teachers unions, the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA) and the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) last week confirmed their members had not been reporting for duty since Tuesday. The unions, however, gave conflicting explanations for the stay away.

PTUZ Secretary General, Raymond Majongwe, said teachers were on strike, demanding a minimum salary equivalent to US$797. But the President of ZIMTA, Tendai Chikowore, chose to be diplomatic about the matter, insisting teachers were "not on strike but simply do not have the capacity to go to work".

"The teachers cannot simply afford to go to work. You can’t call that a strike," Chikowore said. "They have no capacity to report for duty. They cannot even access basic commodities."

Chikowore said they had met government representatives on Wednesday.

"We met the government on Wednesday and we reached an agreement," Chikowore said. "I cannot give you the details of the agreement. But you should know that agreeing is one thing, and paying is another. It is up to the employer to make the money available at the banks, otherwise the current situation will continue."

But Majongwe said teachers went on an indefinite strike since Tuesday, adding that the government had not shown commitment in engaging them.

"Teachers have been on strike since day one. We will not go back to work unless someone talks to us," he said. "Teachers’ salaries in Zimbabwe are a far cry of prevailing rates across the region. The government is not showing any commitment to review teachers’ salaries and working conditions. We resolved to go on strike not because we want to punish the children, but because under current circumstances we believe we cannot produce perfect students."

According to Majongwe, in August teachers earned $934 (revalued).

Majongwe said they had "scientifically determined that a teacher needs a minimum equivalent of US$797" at the prevailing parallel market rate. As of Friday, street foreign currency dealers were paying Z$250 for one US dollar, while the transfer rate was Z$4 000 for one US dollar. Majongwe said their demands were based on teachers’ salaries across the region.

"In South Africa the lowest paid teacher gets R8 300. In Zambia, teachers earn an equivalent of R7 000. In Botswana they earn P7 600. These salaries are many thousands times what our teachers here earn — about R75," said Majongwe.

In addition to the salary reviews, the PTUZ is demanding that the government should urgently "pay teachers a rescue package so that they can survive". They also want "all those who instigated and perpetrated political violence against teachers to be brought to book.

In an earlier statement on Friday, the PTUZ said a permanent solution to teachers’ woes lay in the urgent solution to the country’s political crisis.

"Political dialogue must be expedited and the will of the people must be respected. We cannot continue to run away from the truth," said the statement. "Teachers’ poor salaries are a political and governance issue. Without a veritable and sustainable resolution of the political and governance crisis, teachers will remain in perpetual poverty," he said.

Standard, 7 September 2008