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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Strikes and Protests 2007/8 - Index of articles
Strikes and Protests 2007/8 - Teachers and Lecturers
Teachers
on strike as union blasts government for corruption
Tererai Karimakwenda, SW Radio Africa
January 28, 2008
http://www.swradioafrica.com/news280108/teachers280108.htm
After embarking
on a "go-slow" action since rejecting the offer of a
1,000% pay increase by government, teachers in Zimbabwe have finally
decided to conduct a full-on strike. The Progressive
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) said its members will not
be reporting for work until their demands are met. PTUZ president,
Raymond Majongwe, blasted government officials for spending a fortune
on all the wrong issues while the teachers simply want to be able
to report to work and live a decent life.
Majongwe said they are
demanding a minimum salary of Z$1.7 billion per month. This includes
a monthly transport allowance of Z$352 million and a housing allowance
of Z$240 million per month. They are also demanding regular salary
reviews in order to keep up with inflation, which is unofficially
estimated to be 150,000%.
Majongwe criticised government
and ruling party officials for spending billions on less important
agendas. He pointed to a report on the state television ZTV this
weekend that showed ZANU-PF officials in Matabeleland South, ululating
as they unveiled 18 brand new 4x4 vehicles to be used in the party's
election campaign. "There is corruption in the corridors of
power," said the outspoken activist. He added: "Their
children have the luxury of going to schools outside the country."
And salaries are not
the only issue. We spoke to a teacher who described the dire conditions
under which the schools are operating. Charles Mabwadarika, a Harare
based teacher, said there are no books for the students to read
or to write in. The furniture in the classrooms is old and in a
state of disrepair. Students are being crammed into small spaces
where they learn standing up or sitting on the floor. There is also
not enough chalk for teachers to use.
Union officials say teachers
cannot live on their current salary. Government is not communicating
with the teachers, so it appears students at state run schools will
not be learning for some time to come.
Meanwhile, workers at
the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) are reported to have been
on a go-slow for the past fortnight. Their dispute with government
is also over salaries.
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