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The Zimbabwe National Educators Union (ZINEU) has flatly rejected the much-anticipated government’s 25% salary increase offer this month and another 45% in July.
Below, Spiked Online Media reproduces the ZINEU statement:
This offer was flatly rejected with the contempt it deserved.
Lessons drawn from these talks:
The government’s sincerity in the past and present talks have become apparent for everyone to see. The November 2020 roadmap has been ignored. This was made very clear during the ‘fool’s day’ talks. One questions whether the government side will honour the July pledge based on past experience.
Way forward:
We call upon the government to take the teachers’ plight and that of their families seriously. The offer fails to capacitate teachers by far.
As a union, we are not calling for an increment but a simple restoration of our US dollar salaries of $540. We need the government to be sincere on the issue of our salaries and granting us a living wage.
As a union, we will not tolerate any insensitive offers from the government that are inconsistent with the 150% increment that was clandestinely offered to the uniformed forces.
We call upon parents and learners to hold hands with us. Teachers are not the enemy; we are also parents in our own right.
We call upon members to wait for the government to capacitate us before we even think of going back to school.
We call upon membership not to feel compelled to report for duty as the government doesn’t feel compelled to prioritise our plight at the moment.
#teacherslivesmatter too as those of the security forces.