Staff writer
editor@theblast.co.zw
The year, 2024 has been described as one of the challenging years as government failed to improve the teachers’ condition of service while labour relationship soured.
In an interview with The Blast, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president, Takavafira Zhou said 2024 ended on a bad note as government struggled to pay teachers their salaries.
“2024 was one of the most precipitous years in labour relations,”said Zhou.
He added:
” The government failed to meaningfully improve salaries and conditions of service, while the labour density continued to shrink due to the collapsing economy and warped policies. By the end of the year the government was failing to pay teachers timeously.”
Zhou said teachers were hoping that 2025 would be a much better year and urged government to ensure a robust negotiating forum.
“It is our hope that in 2025 government will be able to pay teachers timeously, ensure a robust negotiation forum in terms of section 65 of the constitution and introduce an autonomous and self regulating Teaching Service Council,” said Zhou.
“The issue of restoring the purchasing power parity of Teachers’ salaries to US$540 basic salary, 30% of basic salary as hardship allowance, realistic housing and transport allowance, and a host of other agreed allowances must be high on the agenda.”
” Industrial harmony that fosters industrial productivity should be high on the agenda and so likewise must be industrial recovery based on balance between export and import, local processing, value addition and beneficiation.”
Zhou said government must take measures of ensuring that the introduced new curriculum that is envisaged to commence next year, will be well funded.
“A new unilateral introduced Heritage Based curriculum must be well funded to enhance successful implementation,”said Zhou.