The incumbent regime has switched into an election mode and our Red Friday protest for a living wage has not been getting any reception. Our Red petition was received and signed by the employer but we received no feedback. We can’t run away from the reality of the election cycle so our protest is now adapting to the dictates of the election cycle.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, ARTUZ envisages an election cycle that will proffer alternative pro poor policy proposals. As such, our Red Friday protests will from now focus on policy alternatives that can inform the next government of our view point as a Union.
The Fourth Red Friday protest to be held tomorrow is coming against a background of a government freeze on recruitment whilst the teacher-pupil ratio stand at 1:80.
ARTUZ notes with regret that currently in some rural primary schools teachers are teaching multiple grades and those in secondary schools teaching multiple learning areas whereas the country has over 20 000 unemployed trained teachers roaming in the streets.
The general membership of ARTUZ has unanimously agreed to deploy its leadership tomorrow to join the historic march in solidarity with the Unemployed Teachers in demanding the review on the teacher recruitment freeze.
Meanwhile, ARTUZ membership and teachers in general will tomorrow continue to wear red, the global trademark color of the working class and will withdraw their labor in protest until their demands have been met by the employer.
The struggle continues unabated and victory is certain.
Source: Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ)