The Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Raymond Majongwe says his union will next week go out on a consultative blitz to find out if their members still want to continue with the current Friday class boycotts. Teachers and other civil servants have said the 40 percent salary increases offered by government last weBefore the increases the PTUZ had asked its 16 000 membership to boycott classes every Friday until they got what they considered an acceptable increase.
On Friday Majongwe told Newsreel the PTUZ position will always be guided by their members and this is why they had to consult them. He conceded there were some teachers in the union who felt the increases were adequate for now as they continue to lobby for more. Majongwe said they were disappointed government did not consult the trade unions and that this was, state paternalism where government behaves like Father Christmas. He said they were not children of the government but were instead partners who should be consulted when making decisions that affect them.
The Poverty Datum Line, a measurement of how much the average family requires to survive, puts US$454 as the amount needed. Majongwe said this is what they asked for from government, but instead got US$150 to US$200 salaries, depending on grade. Responding to claims that government was broke and could not pay what they wanted Majongwe said: We cannot wallow in poverty and be told to tighten our belts when we see lavish spending in government. He said the same government was spending in excess of US$30 000 for each MP in parliament to buy a lavish car (the government has set aside at least US$6 million for this exercise.)
Day in and day out minerals are being taken out of Zimbabwe. Who is the beneficiary of all this mineral wealth? Why are we as citizens not enjoying the diamonds, gold, lithium, platinum and chrome being mined? Why are we not hearing about the money coming from all this mining? If this government cannot provide for its people, it should ship out, he said.
Meanwhile the larger Zimbabwe Teachers Association says it will decide at the end of the month whether to call for a strike. The Public Service Association which represents all the other civil servants who are not teachers or from the armed forces, says it will be holding a meeting in due course to decide what to do.
Post published in: News