This comes after Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe
president Takavafira Zhou and his Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe
counterpart have accused government of leading Zimbabwean teachers into signing
contracts for paltry salaries in Rwanda.
208 teachers passed the selection process for Rwanda
deployment and the first batch of 154 arrived in Kigali on October 19, this
year.
The several teachers who communicated with Zim Now through
WhatsApp messages requested anonymity saying they have not been cleared to
speak to the media.
They said Zimbabwean teachers were deployed across the
whole of Rwanda and the country and are getting the salaries they were promised
in addition to other benefits that include health care insurance and furnished
accommodation, depending on the contract that one signed.
One teacher said they have different conditions, depending
on one’s individual status and station.
“The salaries are commensurate with our qualifications.
This is the reason why we voluntarily signed the contracts. People do not have
similar salaries. We are paid according to one’s qualifications,” said the
teacher.
The teacher also confirmed that while the MoU was signed
between Zimbabwe and Rwanda on the general agreement, individuals made informed
decisions to sign on after discussions on the salary and perks on offer.
“We signed contracts before we left Zimbabwe. It was
voluntary and those who were not happy with the contract did not sign,
ultimately falling out of the list,” the teacher said.
Another teacher said he found the people of Rwanda very
welcoming and believe in unity, adding that they were deployed in different
institutions.
Government says pre-departure training programmes ensured
that all information pertaining to deployment in Rwanda was shared, a statement
from the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare says. In the
statement, the Ministry said there is no truth on the utterances regarding the
Memorandum of Understanding.
“The Government of Zimbabwe wishes to inform the public and
concerned stakeholders that the educational skills transfer programme between
the two sister Republics was undertaken after careful planning, negotiations
and rigorous engagement among experts of both countries.
“The MoU which underpins the exchange arrangement has
become a continental template for Bilateral Labour Agreements as it mainstreams
all principles and facets of fair labour migration and decent work.
“The government comprehensively prepared the educational
experts and other specialists through a pre-departure training programme where
all relevant information regarding deployment to Rwanda was availed to all
successful candidates, including expected conditions of service in Rwanda.
“Government also facilitated the signing of contracts in
Zimbabwe by the successful candidates with a view to guaranteeing the agreed
conditions of service before departure for Rwanda.
The Ministry also said contracts were examined by
specialists from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and experts from
the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), who both confirmed that the
MoU is in sync with International Labour Standards and also meets fundamental
principles of fair and ethical labour migration.
Another teacher said that as far as he knows everyone is
getting what they signed on for:
“Ours was a government-to-government exchange programme on
skilled personnel and our salaries were also negotiated by both governments and
we signed contracts about two weeks before we left. I don’t know if we have
different salaries but they are adhering to the terms set in the contracts,” he
said.
“We were deployed in various provinces in Rwanda and most
people like me are working at Teachers’ Training Colleges, although we do have
some who are in polytechnics and T-VET colleges,” he said, adding that the
Rwandan government is adhering to the terms set out in the contract.
He also said that the Zimbabwean authorities have been
checking in on them.
“Our government, through representatives sent here, has
been making follow-ups to see how we are coping here in Rwanda,” said the
teacher adding: “I am living in furnished accommodation paid for by the
government of Rwanda and we have access to health services and banking services
whenever we are in need of them.”
Representatives of the Government of Rwanda, he said, also
check the various stations where Zimbabwean personnel is deployed, enquiring on
how they have adapted and whether they have any challenges, social or work
related, an indication that they are “serious about our welfare and working
conditions.”
Another teacher said she knows several colleagues who are
already trying to get their families to join them in Rwanda.
“Why would anyone want to bring their spouse and kids here
if they are not happy with the conditions?” she queried.
The teachers were recruited after Rwanda President Paul
Kagame had indicated that his country was keen on hiring Zimbabwean teachers as
part of the efforts to bridge longstanding skills gaps and language barriers in
the Central African country. — Zim Now
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