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9 rural teachers arrested for protesting
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The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has strongly condemned what it describes as the targeting, harassment, and arrest of its members in Mutare, Manicaland province, after a peaceful demonstration held on Tuesday, June 17.
ARTUZ's Manicaland provincial leadership organised the demonstration following the submission of a petition to the Public Service Commission in Mutare. The petition highlighted urgent concerns about teachers' working and living conditions, reflecting resolutions from the union's recent national congress aimed at holding duty bearers accountable.
The union invoked Section 65 of the Zimbabwean Constitution, which guarantees the right to fair remuneration—a right ARTUZ argues is currently being denied to educators. Additionally, ARTUZ pointed to Section 59, which protects the right to peaceful petitioning and demonstrations.
In response to the peaceful protest, ARTUZ criticised what it called the "senseless targeting" and "overzealousness of the police," which led to the harassment and arrest of nine union members. Some of those detained were held at Sakubva Police Station, while others were taken to Mutare Central Police Station.
Among the arrested was a nursing mother, whose child, ARTUZ said, "will forever be traumatised by this barbarism," underscoring the union's outrage at the treatment of its members.
ARTUZ has since appealed to the Police Commissioner General to intervene and ensure the immediate release of the detained teachers. The union also plans to engage the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the International Labour Organisation to document what it calls "gross abuses of human and workers' rights."
Reaffirming its dedication to fighting injustice in Zimbabwe's education sector, ARTUZ commended parents and teachers' association (PTA) members who joined the protest. The union reiterated its commitment to championing the right to education for all learners alongside improving the welfare of educators.
Zimbabwean teachers, ARTUZ insists, will continue their struggle until their demands for fair treatment and adequate support are met.
ARTUZ's Manicaland provincial leadership organised the demonstration following the submission of a petition to the Public Service Commission in Mutare. The petition highlighted urgent concerns about teachers' working and living conditions, reflecting resolutions from the union's recent national congress aimed at holding duty bearers accountable.
The union invoked Section 65 of the Zimbabwean Constitution, which guarantees the right to fair remuneration—a right ARTUZ argues is currently being denied to educators. Additionally, ARTUZ pointed to Section 59, which protects the right to peaceful petitioning and demonstrations.
In response to the peaceful protest, ARTUZ criticised what it called the "senseless targeting" and "overzealousness of the police," which led to the harassment and arrest of nine union members. Some of those detained were held at Sakubva Police Station, while others were taken to Mutare Central Police Station.
ARTUZ has since appealed to the Police Commissioner General to intervene and ensure the immediate release of the detained teachers. The union also plans to engage the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the International Labour Organisation to document what it calls "gross abuses of human and workers' rights."
Reaffirming its dedication to fighting injustice in Zimbabwe's education sector, ARTUZ commended parents and teachers' association (PTA) members who joined the protest. The union reiterated its commitment to championing the right to education for all learners alongside improving the welfare of educators.
Zimbabwean teachers, ARTUZ insists, will continue their struggle until their demands for fair treatment and adequate support are met.
Source - online
