The government has fired three schoolteachers over alleged absenteeism for a period of six months in 2021.
All three teachers that have been sacked are affiliated with the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ).
Edwin Mudara, a teacher at Maboke Secondary School in Midlands Province, and Gerald Tavengwa of Mapfungautsi Secondary School, also in Midlands Province, were among those who were fired.
Speaking to NewsDay, ARTUZ president Obert Masaraure said the government was being vindictive. He said:
The members of the Union are being punished by a vindictive employer for exercising their freedom of association.
ARTUZ is a legally recognised entity, which is employing constitutional means to fight for labour justice for teachers.
The employer has vowed to decimate the union through arrests, suspensions and termination of contracts.
We are appealing against the unfair dismissals of our members. We are also writing formal complaints to the International Labour Organization, ILO and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, (ZHRC).
In February last year, the Public Service Commission (PSC) suspended 1 220 teachers and headmasters for failing to report for work.
The PSC said it will replace teachers who defied its ultimatum to report for work without the option of re-engagement in the future.