At least 627 teachers have been fired in Zimbabwe for taking part in an illegal strike, state ZBC television reported on Monday.
Hundreds of teachers across the country went on strike last week to press for higher wages. State television said the dismissals were with immediate effect and advised teachers in retirement to contact the ministry for employment.
Reacting to news of the dismissals, Raymond Majongwe, the secretary general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) which called the strike, said: ”This is really an unfortunate precedent.”
”Are we saying that Zimbabwe has enough teachers to dismiss them willy-nilly?” he asked. He said that lawyers for the teachers would challenge the dismissals, which he claimed had not followed established procedures.
Majongwe said the strike, which began last Tuesday, would continue until the grievances of the teachers had been met. ”We are ready for a fight,” he said. ”These people (teachers) have nothing to lose.” A high school teacher in Zimbabwe takes home 20 000 Zimbabwe dollars ($364/euros) a month, much less than other civil servants. The PTUZ is demanding a 100% salary increase backdated to January and a 100% cost of living adjustment backdated to June. Majongwe was arrested last week and charged under the country’s Public Order and Security Act for ”invading the rights of others” after he allegedly agitated for teachers to join the strike. He is now out on bail.
At a press conference earlier Monday, Majongwe claimed that teachers were being intimidated by members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) who he said were going around schools to make sure teachers were working.
The claim was denied by army representative Chris Mukotekwa. ”Nothing of that sort is taking place. We do not have the manpower to go around those schools,” he said.
The 55 000-strong Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) has refused to back the strike by PTUZ, which reportedly has 12 000 members. Last week Education Minister Aeneas Chigwedere declared the strike illegal and threatened to fire striking teachers. He promised the government would increase teachers’ salaries early next year. – Sapa-AFP