Teachers’ unions have warned the government that their members will go on strike soon if their remuneration is not reviewed as a matter of urgency.
The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA), the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) and the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) all agreed that teachers’ salaries should be urgently reviewed. ARTUZ president Obert Masaraure said:
There is no need for us to continuously negotiate for salaries because with the rate of inflation the only solution will be to revert back to US dollar salaries.
With the current situation, the moment you leave the meetings with an agreement on salaries, the money will be long gone and will no longer be enough to buy anything.
The government awarded civil servants a 76 per cent cost of living adjustment in August this year. The wage adjustment has, however, been eroded by galloping inflation which, according to global expert, Steve Hanke, is now at 765% per year.