The government has once again sold a dummy to the loyal and hardworking civil servants of Zimbabwe. The workers were expecting a salary increment in line with the current cost of living but were yesterday offered a paltry US$ 9.70 to add to their current US$30-50 income.
The honey moon is over for the leaders of yellow Unions who purport to represent the neglected government workers. These leaders had a lavish party at State house with the Head of State a couple of weeks ago. It was during the party that the intoxicated Union leaders consented to the idea of scrapping the multi-currency system. In return they were promised a salary increment in 10 days. The leaders of the yellow Unions have been propagating government propaganda of price decreases and an imminent economic recovery. Unfortunately reality on the ground is proving otherwise and the latest offer from government is an embarrassing indictment of the wisdom of the leaders of these yellow Unions.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, ARTUZ implores genuine Trade Unions who might have been misled by government moles among us to wake up and join us in our legitimate struggle of urgently demanding a living wage.
We call upon the generality of civil servants to prepare for battle as we demand bread and butter for our children. Our employer is declaring a budgetary surplus every month but we are living in deficit of health care, education, transport and other basic needs. This has to end and it ends now.
ARTUZ salutes its brave membership for standing up to state’s apparatus of violence and harassment. We are humbled by the resilience of Cdes who have suffered persecution but remain unshaken. Some have been forcibly transferred, some demoted, some salaries ceased, others arrested, others abducted, tortured and a host of us facing judicial harassment. We will not give in.
Our Union is currently conducting district consultative meetings but will soon issue a statement on clear way forward.
We notified our employer that we are now incapacitated at the end of June. It follows that we are only providing services when it is convenient to do so. Our employer should not expect much from unpaid workers.
The drama at NJNC and TNF should not divert us from the struggle at hand. We still demand a interbank equivalent of our current salaries which were negotiated in United States dollars terms.
Source: Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ)
