Teachers hire MDC Youth leader to negotiate with government

The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe has hired MDC Youth Leader Discent Bajila to be one of their key negotiators during a meeting with government on Monday.

Said Bajila, "The Amalgamated Teachers Union of Zimbabwe has invited me to be part of their negotiations with government on Monday. I have accepted the invitation and I will be meeting the ministers."

On Monday morning Bajila posted that the President of ARTUZ has been arrested while demonstrating outside Minister Mthuli Ncube's offices.

"The President of ARTUZ Hs been arrested while we are inside the meeting with Mthuli Ncube and Mangudya. We condemn the arrest especially at a time when we are having dialogue with the ministers to deal with the plight of civil servants."

Discent Bajila is the outgoing Secretary General of the MDC Youth Assembly. He has vast experience in civic society activism having cut his teeth at the National Youth Development Trust in 2008.

He has worked with organisations such as Bulawayo Agenda, Southern Stars Foundation and Youth Agenda Trust.

He is one of the key persons involved in the negotiations for the unity between the youth wings of political parties under the MDC Alliance banner.

Earlier in the morning the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights announced that it has dispatched a team of lawyers to Harare Central police station to represent the arrested teachers.

The demonstrators were calling for Minister Mthuli Ncube to commit in paying them in United States dollars or giving them a salary raise.