Teachers fret over salaries

News
TEACHERS yesterday cried foul after their pay dates for this month were changed from yesterday to next Tuesday.

TEACHERS yesterday cried foul after their pay dates for this month were changed from yesterday to next Tuesday.

LUYANDUHLOBO MAKWATI OWN CORRESPONDENT

According to a government schedule, teachers were due to be paid today, but the date was changed and they were not informed of the changes.

Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) organising secretary Raymond Majongwe demanded that the government should honour the set pay dates.

“All we are demanding is that our pay dates must be honoured and the government must pay us our bonuses on time,” he said.

“When we are negotiating for good conditions of service for our rural teachers, some members from other associations are branding us as (former Vice-President Joice) Mujuru’s followers furthering Zanu PF motives on wrong platforms.”

Majongwe decried the plight of teachers, saying they had a right to complain over the shifting of pay dates by the government.

He urged teachers and other workers in the country to challenge the government on why it was not fulfilling its obligatory role of paying them on gazetted dates.

“We are saddened with what the government is doing,” Majongwe said.

“They must pay teachers their salaries on time. What they are doing is bad. We are saying civil servants and pensioners should rise to the occasion and question the government on its obligatory role of paying us on time.”

He added that as long as the government was paying teachers well, there would be no problem because the same teachers would continue to work for the government.

Meanwhile, Majongwe has expressed his disdain at other teachers’ unions that accused PTUZ of being in Mujuru’s pocket.

“We are disgraced with the conduct of Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) and Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (TUZ),” he said.

“Every time we go for joint negotiating meetings they come there wearing political jackets. They will be furthering Zanu PF motives and talking about the (party’s) congress which has nothing to do with the welfare of teachers.

“Recently they were busy talking about the Zanu PF congress in our meetings and that has nothing to do with the welfare of teachers.”

A cold war is brewing within the teachers’ unions as they continue to trade accusations and counter accusations of political affiliation.

“Leaders of Zimta and TUZ are derailing progress as they are furthering other people’s interests which are self-centred and they have nothing to do with our welfare as teachers,” he charged.

“As PTUZ, we have been said to be puppets of MDC- T, now they have branded us as Joice Mujuru’s followers. All we are demanding is that we must be paid on time.”