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Zimbabwe's Elections 2013 - Index of Articles
We
won’t be duped by politicians
Verananda
Langa, NewsDay
July 04, 2013
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/07/04/we-wont-be-duped-by-politicians-teachers/
Teacher’s
Unions yesterday said they will not be hoodwinked by false promises
from politicians seeking their support ahead of the forthcoming
make-or-break elections later this year.
They said the
new government would be given 100 days to address civil servants’
grievances or the “country will be ungovernable” due
to strikes.
Progressive
Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary-general Raymond
Majongwe told NewsDay that promises of increases in civil servants’
salaries towards elections was an old overused trick which will
not get any politician their votes as past assurances were never
fulfilled.
Majongwe said
all parties in the Government
of National Unity (GNU) had the chance during their five-year
tenure to show their attitude towards the plight of civil servants
and workers, but were all guilty of neglect.
“We have
heard President Robert Mugabe and the MDCs promising salary hikes
for civil servants towards elections, but our response this time
around is that we have heard that before and we know those are mere
political pronouncements to garner our votes, and we are going to
punish those who ignored our plea to do justice to the welfare of
civil servants,” Majongwe said.
“Civil
servants have gone for two years without salary increments when
we
know diamonds are looted by selfish people in government living
in opulence and unparalleled extravagance in terms of expenditure.”
Majongwe said
the GNU can, however, not be branded a total failure in terms of
responsibility towards civil servants as the open victimisation
and brutality of teachers had stopped after 2009, as well as successful
restocking of school textbooks.
The Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) led by Lovemore Matombo said
the union expected the new government to urgently address their
concerns.
Matombo said
his ZCTU faction had anticipated good things after the formation
of the GNU in 2009 as they thought workers would get a poverty datum
line salary.
“We are
not going to buy politician’s statements during the campaigns.
Whatever government comes into power will be given 100 days after
elections to increase wages to poverty datum line-related ones and
failure to do that will result in the country becoming ungovernable
through strike action,” he said.
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