HUNDREDS of teachers yesterday downed tools to launch their 12-day strike over poor salaries and conditions of service, but government claimed that the protest was largely unheeded.
Teachers unions said they were mobilising for a coalition
to unite and strengthen their arguments when they air their grievances.
Federation of Zimbabwe Educators Union (Fozeu), an umbrella
body for teachers representatives, yesterday announced that unions were uniting
to speak with one voice. Fozeu chairperson Obert Masaraure told NewsDay that
all unions were very positive about the united front.
“We want to sit down together as unions, and share ideas on how our concerns could be addressed.
Teachers have been suffering for decades and the call for government to take
heed of their calls has escalated. Teachers are professionals who cannot
continue surviving like beggars,” Masaraure said.
He said the unions also insisted that they would not supervise
the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) examinations which are due to
start next week, if government does not pay them invigilating allowances since
they consider it an extra job.
On behalf of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe
(Artuz), for which he is president, Masaraure claimed that 92% of their members
did not report for duty yesterday to compel government to address their
concerns.
“Congratulations to the teachers of Zimbabwe for once again
defying the odds and embarking on a successful job action,” he said in a
statement.
“Percentage attendance in schools dropped to an average of
57% across the country. 92% of the members of Artuz took heed of the call to
withdraw labour. From the pool of Artuz membership, only school heads are in
schools. The ongoing 12 days of action are also receiving massive support and
endorsement from the nation at large.”
The Zimbabwe National Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Zinatu)
said its members had resolved to join other teachers in the ongoing strike,
following wide consultations.
“We are actually building up from our consultations with
our general membership as leadership so we can concretise their resolutions as
we also share our position with member unions. Our membership is the ultimate
voice of the union that speaks louder than an individual opinion. Our members
are incapacitated to report for duty and we remain so until government shows
its commitment to improve our welfare,” Zinatu chief executive Manuel Nyawo
said.
Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson
Taungana Ndoro said only Artuz and Zinatu members failed to report for work,
which was an insignificant number.
However, he said Primary and Secondary Education minister
Evelyn Ndlovu was determined to improve the teachers’ welfare and urged
teachers to be patient with her.
“As of Friday, we had 94,08% of teachers reporting for duty
and that is very encouraging, with about 145 000 teachers in the country
against Artuz (386) and Zinatu (50), who form a combined membership of 436
which is roughly 0,3% of the teacher establishment,” Ndoro said.
“Our reaction basically, as a ministry is that let us not get
ahead of ourselves and do the best we can to offer quality, relevant and
inclusive education to our learners in order to achieve Vision 2030. Our
minister Ndlovu has repeatedly said one of her key priorities is to improve the
welfare of our teachers. So, I urge
members of the teaching fraternity to embrace the confidence shown by our
minister about better days to come.”
Public Service minister Paul Mavima refused to comment on
government’s plan to address the demands of the striking teachers.
“Teachers fall under the Primary and Secondary Education
ministry, hence the ministry is better placed to respond to your questions,”
Mavima said.
Other teachers unions like the Zimbabwe Teachers
Association (Zimta) said the coalition was essential.
Zimta secretary-general Goodwill Taderera said: “We might
have different ideologies as unions, but if we are fighting for a common cause,
that is to improve the welfare of our members, then we should unite and speak
with one voice. Zimta has always been in support of unity with other teachers’
representatives and that is why we are part of the federation of education
unions. We believe in unity to strengthen our call.”
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) also said
it was mobilising for a “united front” of teachers to stop the continued
“abuse” of teachers by Zimsec and government.
PTUZ wrote to the Zimsec board, notifying it that teachers
would not invigilate the 2021 examinations if there was no agreement that they
be get paid for the service.
“By copy of this letter we, therefore, do hereby inform you
that if there are no such contracts between Zimsec and teachers by the time the
examinations start, our members will not be able to take part in invigilation
processes,” the PTUZ letter read.
“We do make this declaration knowing that the law is on our
side, and that the only reason teachers previously invigilated your
examinations was it erroneously appeared as part of their job description when
in actual fact it was not, hence our rightful and legitimate demand to be paid
for the services rendered.” PTUZ said teachers’ workload had also increased
after the introduction of the continuous assessment learning activity, which
means that everyone involved in examinations must be paid for their services. Newsday
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