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The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has emphasised the protection of the rights of educators as it joins the rest of the world in commemorating World Teachers Day being commemorated under the theme, “Valuing Teacher Voices: Towards a New Social Contract for Education.”
The union posits that a new social contract for education in Zimbabwe should be premised on the constitutional legal order as collectively agreed upon by the people of Zimbabwe in 2013.
“Teacher voices should be expressed within the parameters of the same constitutional order. Valuing teacher voices begins with protecting the rights provided for in the Constitution. The social contract should be further anchored on the values of Ubuntu which Zimbabwe so much cherishes.
“The 2013 constitution dedicated section 65 to the rights of workers, a category to which teachers belong to. Government officials religiously pledge to uphold this sacrosanct document whenever they assume office. On this World Teachers Day, we implore the government to pay attention to the constitution and endorse the same as the new social contract,” ARTUZ said in a statement
The union said the attention of the employer is invited to focus on section 65 of the constitution – the basis of a new social contract.
The Constitution in that section says every person has the right to fair and safe labour practices and standards and to be paid a fair and reasonable wage. On that basis, ARTUZ calls upon the employer to review salaries and pay a fair wage that enables teachers to cater to basics and have savings and argues that USD 1 260 is all that teachers are demanding as salary.
The Constitution says except for members of the security services, every person has the right to form and join trade unions and employee or employers’ organisations of their choice, and to participate in the lawful activities of those unions and organisations.
Trade Unions give Teachers a collective voice making it easier for the employer to understand the common grievances of employees.
“ARTUZ condemns the ongoing attack on ARTUZ by the Zimbabwean state. The Union has endured office raids, abductions, torture and incarceration of leaders, suspensions and discharge of members. The State is urged to stop the relentless attack on ARTUZ and focus on protecting the freedom of association of ARTUZ teachers.
“Except for members of the security services, every employee has the right to participate in collective job action, including the right to strike, sit in, withdraw their labour, and take other similar concerted action, but a law may restrict the exercise of this right to maintain essential services. The Public Service Act should be aligned in a manner that protects the right to strike. Job actions should be protected by the administrators of education. The culture of persecuting teachers for embarking on job actions is against the spirit of the national constitution. Every employee is entitled to just, equitable, and satisfactory conditions of service,” ARTUZ argued.
The union added that the Government should provide equitable and satisfactory conditions of work to boost teacher morale and improve productivity.
ARTUZ said the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) must be dismantled and a genuine Collective Bargaining Council must be legislated, insisting that women and men have a right to equal remuneration for similar work while women have a right to be fully paid maternity leave for at least three months.
“There should be no limit to incidences of paid maternity leave. The clause of 3 incidences of paid maternity leave, in the Public Service Act must be replaced with a bold right to absolute paid maternity leave. This is the social contract teachers of Zimbabwe want. In addition, the government should provide State-funded basic education to our learners in line with section 75 of the constitution. In return, the teachers pledge to work closely with the learners to promote knowledge and skills acquisition for the development of Zimbabwe. Teachers’ voices should be promoted and protected through adherence to the constitution and the new social contract should be anchored on the constitution.”
