With a new Zimbabwean school term scheduled to Tuesday, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe said its members would report for work Tuesday but will not teach until they have seen the outcome of a meeting set Thursday between teachers’ representatives and the government over long-sought salary increases.
The PTUZ said it is unhappy with the government’s position on teacher salaries, especially as educators do not know how much they can expect to earn this year.
But the Zimbabwe Teachers Association, the other major organization representing teachers, encouraged its members to go back to work as talks continued.
PTUZ Secretary General Raymond Majongwe told VOA Studio 7 reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that his union's members were demanding that they be paid salaries commensurate with the minimum family cost of living which stands around US$500 a month.
Teachers currently earn less than US$200 a month.
The government has said that it simply does not have the means to pay public employees, teachers included, more than the US$150-US$200 stipend currently in effect.
