BY BRENNA MATENDERE
THE Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, ARTUZ has filed a complaint with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) over poor salaries among other cases of labour injustices.
In a letter dated 23 May 2005 addressed to Delisa Mazambani, the ZHRC executive secretary, Obert Masaraure, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president said there are systematic violations of the fundamental rights of teachers in Zimbabwe.
“These violations include the denial of fair wages, the right to strike, the right to collective bargaining, and the right to absolute paid maternity leave.
“For an extended period, teachers in Zimbabwe have endured deplorable working conditions and inadequate remuneration that fails to meet basic living standards. Efforts to engage the government in meaningful dialogue to address these grievances have been largely ignored or met with hostility,” he wrote.
Masaraure cited Section 65(1) of the Constitution that established the right to a fair and reasonable wage and said the challenge with this right lies in the absence of a clear yardstick to measure the fairness and reasonableness of the wage.
The period after 2018, which saw the introduction of the RTGS dollars followed by the re-introduction of the Zimbabwean Dollars to operate at par with the USD and subsequently to replace the USD, caused significant turmoil.
The RTGS and Zimbabwean Dollar remained the basis for employee salaries but never matched the USD’s value. Hyper-inflation worsened the situation, and the widening gap between the buying power of the USD and the ZWL could not be restored by corresponding salary increments.
Masaraure said as a result, teachers resorted to excessive borrowing to bridge the gap.
“Current salaries, reviewed upwards to approximately USD 250 with a paltry ZIG component, remain below the estimated basket of needs for a family of 5, pegged at USD 1,300 based on market prices for essential goods and services. Teachers are subjected to wages significantly below the poverty datum line, rendering it impossible to afford basic necessities and maintain a decent standard of living.
“There are two basic competing interests in the wage issue: the need for a decent living for employees and their families versus the State’s and other employers’ arguments that excessively high salaries, not backed by revenue inflows, risk deterring investment by making labor a significant and unsustainable cost center,” reads part of the letter.
It adds that whenever schools open for a new term, teachers declare incapacitation and fail to report to their workstations, arguing that their salaries are a mockery.
“It is against this background that the Human Rights Commission is implored to recommend that the government: Pay teachers a fair wage in line with Section 65(1) of the Constitution. Protect the right to strike as provided for by Section 65(3) of the Constitution.
“Provide for the right to collective bargaining through repealing SI 141 of 1997 and aligning the Public Service Act to the Constitution. Align the Public Service Act to the Constitution to provide for the right to strike and the right to absolute paid maternity leave with no conditionalities. Promote dialogue with Trade Unions to build a social contract,” reads the letter.
