The Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU)’s education sector affiliated unions have expressed disgruntlement over the 45 percent salary increment arguing that the government increased the salaries whilst avoiding negotiations.
In an interview with 263Chat, ZCPSTU Secretary General Charles Chinosengwa said they simply want a living wage.
“Teachers can’t afford to send their children to schools they teach. No food on the table for them and their children. They cannot access proper medication, most of them are living on God’s grace otherwise death rate of workers will be high looking at the situation on the ground,” he said.
Chinosengwa highlighted that in most schools, no personal protective equipment (PPE), running water, chemicals for fumigation and social distance in most schools, a teacher is forced to teach a class of 70 kids.
“On average a teacher is taking home 16 000 bond or less. And government bread basket for a family of 5 is above 40000 bond and the real bread basket is above 60000 bond. This is been affected by our inflation rate monthly. The only solution is government pay its workers with USD linked salary or USD at interbank rate. From 2018 we negotiate for a salary increase before we receive it it will be eroded by inflation making life very difficult for workers,” he said.
Poverty datum line has been pegged at ZWL$40 000, almost double what most civil servants, including teachers and nurses, are earning per month.
This development come after teachers recently burnt their payslips demanding an equivalent of their 2018 salaries.
