By Lisca Philo
Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) has warned that the education system in the country will be greatly affected if the right to negotiate for salary increases at the National Joint Negotiation Council (NJNC) is not reinstated.
ZIMTA indicated that scheduled NJNC meetings to discuss salary increases, usually held in the first quarter of every year was this year not done and “this is a violation of the educators’ right to collective bargaining.”
In a statement, ZIMTA said educators are frustrated by the below poverty datum line salaries, which makes it challenging to provide a quality learning environment for their students.
ZIMTA emphasizes that as civil servants under the Public Service Ministry, they deserve to have their grievances heard and addressed, especially in the face of the ongoing economic situation in the country.
“The educators are demanding that the NJNC convene urgently, given the dire effects that their current low incomes are having on their ability to provide quality education,” Akunei Maphosa said.
Mr Maphosa further emphasized the critical importance of ensuring that educators receive adequate remuneration in order to uphold the government’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4, which focuses on quality education.
The organization asserts that the current salary situation is causing a decline in teacher morale and negatively impacting the quality of education provided.
In addition, ZIMTA warned that the continued infringement of educators’ right to negotiate for better salaries could lead to undesirable consequences that would hinder the progress of quality public education in Zimbabwe.
The Association called the government to “prioritize the needs of educators, address the concerns raised in their statement, and schedule a meeting for salary review as soon as possible, in order to prevent further damage to the public education system”.
