Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA) Acting Secretary General, Mr. Goodwill Taderera says the Union is positive that Government will this time offer a meaningful salary increment for educators.
This comment comes on the backdrop of a recently held National Negotiation Joint Council (NJNC) meeting on 14 January 2022 where government agreed that the matter of teachers’ salaries needed to be resolved urgently.
Mr. Taderera announced to the members that the meeting proved that a positive agreement can be possible.
“What we agreed on as the workers and the government proves that we are going somewhere and should reach a mutual understanding soon. We are looking for positive results because its noticeable to everyone that when it comes to rent, paying hospital bills, and transport all these bills are in USD and its actually what things are like exactly on the ground.”
He said educators wanted the restoration of the USD salary which they used to get.
“All we want as civil servants is that our salaries be restored to the 2018 pre-October USD 540. Because of Inflation also affecting the USD currency we now want USD 671. The government said they will do quarterly reviews of salary increments depending on government coffers and this will be inclusive of both salaries and allowances. Stakeholders generally agreed that that being paid in RTGS is not working because of Inflation as we also look for USD from money changers in the streets which further worsens the situation as the money loses its value quickly. We kept demanding that we must be paid in USD and government representatives asked for time out to consult with their principals and the NJNC should reconvene in the shortest time possible,” he said.
The NJNC meeting took place during the second week of January this year.
The country’s biggest teacher union ZIMTA raised its demands for educators and among these was the demand to see the lowest paid worker getting USD 671, as a monthly salary. Should the government fail to meet the demands, at least half should be paid in foreign currency and the other in local currency because teachers’ Salaries have been reduced by huge losses caused by high inflation.
