Collective Bargaining Reforms Now
The most representative and professional teacher trade union in Zimbabwe , ZIMTA, has intensified calls for an urgent reform of labour laws and collective bargaining systems as the only way to ensure that fair working conditions are achieved while better salaries for teachers will be gradually realized.
Teachers want to see an improvement in the way that collective bargaining is conducted between the employer and its workers, because they believe that the current system is not satisfactory to them. The current negotiating system does not produce binding agreements that can be legally enforced should any of the two parties default on their word or obligations.
Speaking on the sidelines of the International day of Education, incoming ZIMTA President, Mr. Akuneni Maphosa said “the current scenario is such that, we are at the mercy of the government. We feel that teachers are denied the right to collective bargaining because of the misalignment of the Public Service Act to the Constitution which is the guiding legislation that regulates collective bargaining within the Civil Service.”
“The current consultations that occur between ourselves and the authorities are
not very satisfying on our part .What we need are robust back and forth
negotiations that will see us meeting halfway, resulting in better salaries and
working conditions. What irks the teachers most is that, when we are at the table,
and agree on something, the employer often fails to implement fully what we
would have agreed to, and this is usually the time that teachers feel neglected,”
said Maphosa.
He said “it will be nothing for us without us, we want to be involved .We have the right to be part of the process and we demand to be included in all processes. “The negotiating platform known as National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC)comprising of teachers, civil servants and the employer representatives meets quarterly, to determine and establish levels of remuneration for teachers and other members of the Public Service but seldom results in satisfactory results.
Because of the inefficiencies and inconsistencies that have occurred over the recent years, teachers feel short -changed and feel most of their submissions are not fully taken on board and are partially implemented. Educators believe that the answer lies in the collective bargaining reforms which are long overdue.
