By Karen Nyeraurombo
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure has warned the government that if it continues refusing to pay them meaningfully, they will stay at home.
Teachers are at loggerheads with the government over meaningful wages. The government on the other hand is on record saying it has no resources to meet the demands.
This has seen the government taking a militant position that those who don’t go to work will not be paid salaries.
In an interview on Tuesday-Talk Masaraure said teachers have the capacity to stay at home and wait for the day government will pay them.
“If the government chooses not to pay us we will still remain at home and wait for the day when they will value our education sector and pay our teachers.
“Our members are very clear and they have come up with their own policy of “no work no pay” so if the government continues not paying us like what they are doing now we will not be able to work.
“We want to call them negotiations but they are never negotiations, the government has been playing hide and seek with the workers. Do people expect us to fly to work and come to work when our own children are at home?
“We have given the government up to the 22nd of March to resolve the education crisis. We will not allow the education sector to collapse under our watch and by the 22nd if the government has not come up with a concrete plan, or has not resolved the education crisis then we are taking it to the streets and we are inviting citizens to join our nationwide protest, which would be conducted nationwide as citizens demand solution for our education sector,” he said.
Meanwhile, Labour Minister Paul Mavima has urged the civil servants to come up with realistic demands.
Teachers: If you dont pay us we will remain home
Teachers: If you dont pay us we will remain home
