RAYMOND Majongwe, secretary-general of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), has lodged a complaint with the International Labour Organising accusing the government of neglecting teachers.
Report by Moses Matenga
In a letter dated April 15 and addressed to ILO director- general in Geneva, Switzerland, Majongwe called on the international labour body to investigate the government for serious contravention of international labour practices.
“The concerns are not only a product of constitutional draft defects, but also emanate from deharmonisation of labour laws and violence perpetrated against teachers in Zimbabwe. It is our conception that there will be no quality public education in Zimbabwe if these issues are left in abeyance. We, therefore, call for your urgent intervention,” wrote Majongwe.
“We are also perturbed by the fact that political parties in the inclusive government continue to invade schools for political purposes in stark disregard of our recommendation and plea that school be politics-free zones.”
Majongwe also accused the government of neglecting families of teachers who die on duty and failing to improve teachers’ salaries. “We are also disappointed that the government is not recognising teachers who die while on duty yet the same is not the case when it comes to members of the security forces.
“Last year, a teacher died while marking public examinations at Harare Polytechnic College. Another teacher in Manicaland province was slain while on duty. The government did not even offer a condolence message, let alone assisting the surviving family members with funeral expenses. We are raising these issues for your perusal, investigations and possible intervention,” he said.
