NANDI-The Zimbabwe Teachers Association leadership in Masvingo is on a whirlwind tour of Chiredzi District schools where they are meeting teachers to find out their take on Government’s announcement that it is not going to increase their salary.
By Simbarashe Musoni
The association’s Masvingo Chapter, led by Mr Nepheos Temba and Mr Jere visited numerous schools in the district, on a mission to get the general consensus amongst teachers on the stand off.
The 5 day tour of the schools was welcomed by many teachers who revealed that they are incapacitated to continue working.
This comes at a time Government has issued a statement that it is unable to increase salaries for teachers and all other civil servants.
Teachers are earning a paltry of RTGS 25 000-30 000, too little enough to satisfisy a monthly budget for a civil servant.
“Government has stated that it is not in a position to increase teachers’ and other civil servants’ salaries up until next year.
Therefore, it is up to the teachers to decide the way forward”, Temba said.
Temba said they are using sampling method to gather data and information from teachers.
The information will be sent and collated at the national level to come up with a national decision.
Some of the options at hand so far include declaring a total strike, incapacitation or permitting teachers’ unions to engage Government and negotiate on their behalf.
“This is not a coercive mission, but we are collecting grievances from teachers as raw data for submission at national level.
A decision will then be agreed basing on the outcome from the ten provinces”, added Temba.
Several teachers who spoke to this publication on condition that they are not named welcomed the visit and the idea to declare them incapacitated.
However, parents feel the decision will affect their children, particularly those who are seating for examinations.
“This call for a declaration of incapacitation by teachers comes at a time when learners in Grade 7, Form 4 and Form 6 are preparing for their final Zimsec public examinations and as such, this might jeopardize our children’s hard effort which has also been derailed by COVID 19 Lockdown.
I think it is wise that a common ground be reached between the involved parties before it disturbs the examination process”, said Mrs Hungwe, whose child is doing Grade 7 Tshovani School.
