Teachers countrywide continue to join the ongoing job action demanding a living wage. A survey conducted by Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe revealed that Matabeleland North province is the most compliant with an attendance of as low as 15%. Mashonaland East is the least compliant with an attendance of 40%.
Overall attendance is at 32% across all provinces.
ARTUZ notes that the State has deployed members of the Police Internal Security Intelligence, PISI to harass School leaders. The PISI officers are sending messages to School Heads demanding statistics and threatening the same heads. One Headmaster in Silobela had to offer $20 in bond notes to try to bribe teachers to come to work. ARTUZ is in possession of the messages from PISI.
District Inspectors have also been doing rounds threatening to fire teachers who took heed of the legal job action.
ARTUZ notified the government of this job action on 31 December in 2018. To avoid loss of learning time the Union held a series of protests hoping to compel the employer to award us a Conditions of Leaving Adjustment, COLA. The employer has refused to play ball. The current sorry state of our education sector is a result of the intransigence of the government of Zimbabwe.
ARTUZ encourages government to award teachers a COLA before schools completely and permanently shut down.
The Union of the moment encourages teachers to remain resolute as we demand a living wage.
We once again call upon Un-Unionised teachers to join the Union of the moment and be part of this historic fight for a living wage.
Source: Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ)
