Teachers accuse unions of selling out

DISGRUNTLED teachers, who have not been reporting for duty since last week citing incapacitation, have accused the Zimbabwe Teachers Union (Zimta) and the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) of selling out and conniving with the government to suspend them.

"Zimta and PTUZ are selling out but we are not going to go back to work as we are still incapacitated," one of the disgruntled teachers told NewsDay.

But Zimta secretary-general Goodwill Taderera said: "I wouldn't call it selling out. We are just working on what was discussed with the National Joint Negotiating Committee (NJNC). There is a circular that Zimta put out urging teachers to go back to work," he said.

PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou yesterday also dismissed the allegations.

"I have a track record to protect. To whom will I even sell the struggle when the government does not want to see my face in any meeting as they accuse me of supporting the regime change agenda?  I cannot salivate at Zanu-PF predatory leaders, thuggery and thievery," Zhou said.

Since schools opened last week on Monday, the majority of teachers and headmasters at public schools have not been going to work as they pressed for a pre-October salary of US$540.

Government last week made several offers, among them a 20% salary increment to all civil servants and a US$100 allowance to be converted from the local currency salary component, but the teachers did not budge.

This prompted Primary and Secondary Education minister Evelyn Ndlovu to suspend all the striking teachers, but the move has been challenged in court.

Meanwhile, a NewsDay snap survey at some schools in the capital Harare revealed that some teachers had started reporting for work, but were not teaching.