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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Strikes and Protests 2007/8 - Teachers and Lecturers
Statement
on the arrest of PTUZ officials
Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU)
February 15, 2007
The Zimbabwe Congress
of Trade Unions strongly condemns and deplores the arrest of Progressive
Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe general secretary Raymond Majongwe
and two other union officials.
The arrests come
in the wake of industrial action called for by the PTUZ to press
government to award meaningful and poverty datum line linked minimum
wages to teachers. The arrests are a clear abuse of human and trade
union rights because teachers have the right to go on industrial
action to press for improved conditions of service.
The arrests also
do not augur well in building confidence and trust in the recently
touted Social Contract tenet. The arrests only serve to indicate
paranoia in the government corridors.
The least paid
teacher is earning $84 000 while the poverty datum line is hovering
around $566 000. This is degrading and inhumane to teachers and
teachers are right in going on industrial action to demand what
is rightfully theirs. As long as teachers, and other workers of
Zimbabwe, including the army and police, are not earning PDL equated
wages, strike action will characterize 2007.
Labour demands
the immediate and unconditional release of the PTUZ officials, and
that security agencies should forthwith stop the harassment of teachers
and trade unions as the fights being waged by trade unions will
also stand to benefit them.
Gideon Shoko
Acting Secretary General
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