Teachers under ZIMTA have told the government that while they don’t want industrial action, they were indeed incapacitated as the recent salary increment is nothing compared to their basic needs.
Speaking to the Chronicle, ZIMTA President Richard Gundani said:
The truth of the matter is that the teacher has been incapacitated for a long time and a lot of them will be forced to moonlight at the end of the day. We don’t want that as it affects the pupil. At the same time we don’t want schools closed due to industrial action. Schools must remain open; children going to school. We don’t want industrial action and we will continue engaging in dialogue with the Government until we find a lasting solution
At the moment the least paid teacher is taking home about Z$1 000 instead of about Z$8 000. We are contesting this gap, it should not have been there because this is what happened to the prices and services. They went up but we are still where we were in terms of salaries back in 2018.
The government through the deputy finance minister said it is committed to addressing civil servants’ grievances and promised to give them 3 or 4 cushioning allowances throughout the year.
More: The Chronicle