The Herald
By Innocent Ruwende
3 July 2009
TEACHERS threatening to strike over unfulfilled pay promises have been told that civil servants are likely to get proper salaries when Finance Minister Tendai Biti presents the mid-term fiscal policy on July 16.
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart told representatives of teachers at a meeting on Wednes-day that the Government was working to address their salaries and working conditions and those of other civil servants.
The announcement was expected in the mid-term fiscal policy review.
In an interview, Minister Coltart said he had received notices from teachers unions’, among them the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association and Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, threatening to go on strike if the Government does not start paying them salaries.
At the moment, all civil servants are getting a US$100 monthly allowance.
“We told them that Government was aware of their concerns and it realises that the US$100 allowance teachers are getting was not adequate and did not recognise their professional qualifications.
“Finance Minister Tendai Biti is running around to secure money to pay their salaries as well as those of other civil servants. I am hopeful that we will be able to address their concerns and those of other civil servants but it will depend on the amount of money coming into the fiscus,” Minister Coltart said.
But Zimta yesterday expressed frustration over unfulfilled pay promises and said it had twice restrained its members from striking but was now being left with no option.
“The National Executive Committee met on 26-27 June 2009 in Harare to deliberate, among other issues, concerns from members about the remuneration levels.
“The general membership was concerned that the review of the educators’ remuneration was long overdue, the much talked about roadmap by the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture was nothing but a hoax, and diversionary tactic, the donor agencies appeal process was indefinite and undependable, and the SDA/SDC school-based incentives were not a substitute to educators’ salary right.
“The sum of the concerns was that educators remained prisoners of hope as no real progress has been realised,” Zimta said in a statement.
Minister Biti’s mid-term fiscal policy on July 16 comes amid reports that revenue from taxes has risen substantially. Last month Zimbabwe Revenue Authority Commissioner-General Mr Gershom Pasi said Zimra had collected US$100 million in taxes and hoped the figure would keep rising.
Minister Coltart said at the moment Government had limited ability but he was very optimistic that teachers and all civil servants’ concerns would be addressed soon since there were indications that the economy was stabilising.
“My appeal to teachers is that they should recognise we are working under difficult circumstances to seek funds for their salaries so they should bear with Government during these hard times.
“When we get revenue into Government coffers I am sure we will be able to deal with their salary concerns,” he said.
Last week, a group of more than 70 teachers marched in Harare and presented a petition to Minister Coltart demanding an urgent address of their working conditions and salaries.
Minister Coltart has said the country’s education sector requires at least US$100 million to re-equip schools with textbooks and pay teachers’ sala- ries.
In May, Government held a crisis meeting with teachers’ unions over the salary issue after they had decided not to report for work when the second term began.
The Government, through the United Nations, has since sent an appeal to western donors and western governments for financial aid to revive the country’s education system.