Teachers Set to Return to Work Despite Salary Increase Hitches
Jonga Kandemiiri
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) says its members will report for work next week Tuesday when schools open with plans underway to meet with other teachers’ associations to map the way forward regarding salary increases before embarking on any industrial action.
The PTUZ announced at the end of last term that its members will boycott classes beginning of the year unless the government addressed their salary grievances.
Civil servants are demanding an entry salary equivalent to the poverty datum lLine, while the government through Finance Minister Tendai Biti promised an inflation-based salary increment this year.
PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said their members will also wait to see what the government has to offer before they take action.
But Zimbabwe Teachers Association Chief Executive Officer, Sifiso Ndlovu, said his association will only come up with a position after its annual general meeting this week.
Ndlovu, however, ruled out industrial action as a solution. VOA Studio 7 failed to reach Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe representatives for a comment.
