Salary Offer Divides Teachers

Patience Nhamburo

One of the biggest teacher’s unions in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Teachers Association has told its members to return to work.

This follows conclusion of salary talks on Monday.

 Some teachers have not been reporting for work since September when schools opened, citing incapacitation.

However, yesterday civil servants’ representatives accepted a 41 percent salary hike which will see the lowest paid teacher earning about 19 000 Zimbabwe dollars.

ZIMTA Chief Executive Officer Sifiso Ndlovu revealed how they are advising their members to report for duty.

“Effectively that position means that the new salary levels is as per advertised levels of 13 November 2020. We now therefore advise our members to start attending to their stations so that they can re-engage with their learners”, he said

But, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe says it is still consulting its members on the way forward.

“Our position is very clear that teachers are still incapacitated and we have agreed with our members that we are consulting from yesterday up to pay day and we can only map a way forward after the consultation up to 3 days. We are very bereaved and we believe that the best way would have been a declaration of deadlock and referring the issue for arbitration in terms of the labour act, National Constitution and the ILO constitution,” said PTUZ President Takavafira Zhou.