News / National
ARTUZ urges members to take sick leave on schools opening day
10 Sep 2024 at 08:18hrs | Views
As schools reopen today, September 10, 2024, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) is calling on its members to apply for sick leave, citing severe mental health issues exacerbated by inadequate salaries.
The union has highlighted the urgent need for better working conditions, including a proposed minimum salary of US$1,260 per month. In a statement, ARTUZ encouraged teachers to submit "sick leave" letters to their school heads, reflecting their mental health struggles amid the ongoing "incapacitation crisis."
The union has provided a template for these letters, which includes the following wording: "As schools reopen for the demanding third term on September 10, 2024, I will seek mental health support from experts today. I will report the outcome of this therapy by the end of the day. I hope the employer addresses the incapacitation crisis as soon as practically possible. I will await further guidance from my union if the issue remains unresolved."
ARTUZ is calling for immediate government intervention to address these issues, warning that the quality of education could decline if teachers' mental health and financial stability are not prioritized.
The union has also criticized "fake revolutionaries" who they believe have abandoned teachers in favor of the government's elite. ARTUZ asserts that the divide between teachers and those working against them has become clearer.
"The lines are now clearly drawn between us and the forces working against us. Those who once claimed to be revolutionaries are now aligned with those undermining our cause," ARTUZ stated.
In addition to a minimum salary demand of US$1,260, the union has outlined several other demands: the right to strike, changes to the Public Service Act to ensure collective bargaining and paid maternity leave, the disbanding of the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC), and the establishment of a Collective Bargaining Council.
Teachers are also calling for a moratorium on education levies due to the drought season and invigilation allowances for all educators.
The union has highlighted the urgent need for better working conditions, including a proposed minimum salary of US$1,260 per month. In a statement, ARTUZ encouraged teachers to submit "sick leave" letters to their school heads, reflecting their mental health struggles amid the ongoing "incapacitation crisis."
The union has provided a template for these letters, which includes the following wording: "As schools reopen for the demanding third term on September 10, 2024, I will seek mental health support from experts today. I will report the outcome of this therapy by the end of the day. I hope the employer addresses the incapacitation crisis as soon as practically possible. I will await further guidance from my union if the issue remains unresolved."
ARTUZ is calling for immediate government intervention to address these issues, warning that the quality of education could decline if teachers' mental health and financial stability are not prioritized.
"The lines are now clearly drawn between us and the forces working against us. Those who once claimed to be revolutionaries are now aligned with those undermining our cause," ARTUZ stated.
In addition to a minimum salary demand of US$1,260, the union has outlined several other demands: the right to strike, changes to the Public Service Act to ensure collective bargaining and paid maternity leave, the disbanding of the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC), and the establishment of a Collective Bargaining Council.
Teachers are also calling for a moratorium on education levies due to the drought season and invigilation allowances for all educators.
Source - newzimbabwe
