ARTUZ political ploy threatens the planned ZUAWU strike

Opposition-affiliated Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) is allegedly scheming to exploit the forthcoming strike being organised by the Zimbabwe University and Allied Workers Union (ZUAWU) in a bid to incite chaos and political unrest in the nation.

ZUAWU issued a notice to strike on February 19, aiming to push for a salary increase, which ARTUZ now seeks to hijack for political expediency.

ARTUZ's attempts come in the backdrop of the dismal failure of its operation dubbed Tree Planting for Justice Campaign that it launched last December during the commemoration of the World Tree Planting Day to try and cause civil disobedience throughout the country.

The operation, which was supposed to mutate into mass protests failed to gain traction, with ARTUZ President, Obert Masaraure, getting a backlash from his funders, particularly his Harare handlers domiciled at the US Embassy. Masaraure further faced accusations of misappropriating some of the funds meant for the operation.
However, a source who spoke to Harare Post on condition of anonymity said Masaraure`s ploy was set to suffer a still-birth, as the majority of the ZUAWU leadership and the generality of its membership were alive to ARTUZ's selfish agenda.

"ARTUZ is slowly losing relevance within the country and is now seeking to ride on the shoulders of other unions to push its political agenda under the guise of advocating for better working conditions for civil servants. Unfortunately I don't think ZUAWU will buy in to their strategy. No one wants to be associated with ARTUZ at the moment because it has become heavily politicised. Its leader Masaraure has also lost credibility," the source said.

Meanwhile, political analyst and commentators have also warned ZUAWU against associating with a tainted organisation such as ARTUZ if their grievances were to be taken seriously by Government.

Political analyst, Gilbert Chaunza, advised ZUAWU to refrain from aligning with ARTUZ, cautioning that the genuine call by ZUAWU for improved salaries might be misconstrued as a political statement due to ARTUZ's reputation as an opposition-aligned entity.

"ZUAWU should exercise caution in associating with ARTUZ, as their genuine call for improved salaries risks being misconstrued as a political statement. Association with such tainted organisations would be at ZUAWU`s peril" he said.

Similarly, Innocent Mandivheya urged ZUAWU to remain vigilant and resist ARTUZ's involvement, highlighting ARTUZ's known affiliation with the opposition and prioritisation of political agendas over workers' welfare.

 "Many teachers are rejoining or joining the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA), which is reputed for initiating beneficial programmes for its members. This is after the realisation that these fly-by-night associations are not genuine but want to push certain political agendas" said Mandivheya.

Meanwhile, High and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology  Minister, Prof Amon Murwira is on record saying  lecturers and other staff at State Universities are not hired by Government but by the universities themselves and so these should be innovative enough to generate their own incomes to augment the block salary grants they get from the fiscus.