It used to be taken for granted that teachers, in general, will get their reward in heaven. Not teachers in Zimbabwe. The teachers in the troubled country in Southern Africa want their reward here on earth. They have demanded one hundred percent salary increase and have warned that they will go on strike next term if their grievances are not met.
Members of the Federation of Zimbabwe Educators’ Unions (FZEU) staged a demonstration in Harare last Tuesday carrying placards bearing their grievances and demands on the government.
The teachers believe that a new dawn has come in Zimbabwe and they certainly want to get their cut. They had intended to hand the petition to the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, but he was not on seat.
But the government has its hands full at the moment. The interim administration is facing a strike by junior doctors which has adversely affected operations at the nation’s public hospitals. The doctors have ignored all the appeals and threats made by the authorities, vowing not to return to work until all their demands are met.
Now, teachers are compounding the situation. They insist that schools will not reopen next term unless the government resolves their grievances.
In a statement this week, the FZEU said, “Teachers have not had a salary increment since 2013 yet the cost of living has risen by up to 100 percent. This has been exacerbated by the cash crisis and three tier pricing system. Thus, teachers demand an immediate 100 percent salary increase so that they get remuneration above the poverty datum line (PDL) currently pegged at $534. Further, we are demanding 50 percent increment on transport and housing allowances with immediate effect.”
Observers described that as a mouthful. In apparent solidarity, the Chief executive of Zimbabwe Teachers Association, ZIMTA, Sifiso Ndlovu, said Tuesday’s demonstration was meant to register their anger over the worsening working conditions in Zimbabwe.
