No work, No Money: ED threatens striking teachers

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned teachers that those who do not report for work will risk not being not be paid their salaries.

Speaking in Mutare on Wednesday night, Mnangagwa said, ” Government will not be taken to ransom by striking teachers. The Second Republic proceeds on principles, not blackmail. Teachers will be paid for working, never for staying at home, away from their working stations.”

Mnangagwa’s statements follow a threat by Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba who said if the teachers were declaring war on their employer, the government was ready for the war.

According to the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe ,more than 60 percent of teachers at government schools did not report on duty when the schools re-opened , citing incapacitation caused by inadequate remuneration.

Teachers are demanding at least $US540 per month(or its equivalent in local currency)For them to return to their stations.

Mnangagwa will spend a night in Mutare in readiness for a tour of remedial infrastructures in areas badly hit by Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani District. The projects will include a new settlement for relocated families displaced by the Cyclone.

The President’s visit follows an invitation by National Disaster Committee on Cyclone Idai meant to get him to gauge progress registered to date. This evening, the President urged Party and Government officials to mobilize communities for greater participation in the PFUMVUDZA programme.