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Teachers countrywide should report for duty when schools open on Tuesday as reports of a looming strike are misplaced, teacher unions have said.
Parents and students were apprehensive following reports that teachers were mulling a strike as the third term begins to press Government to address their concerns.
The concerns include termination of salaries for more than 3 000 teachers found missing at their workstations during a recent audit by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) Secretary General, Mr John Mlilo distanced the grouping from the call for a strike.
“There are unions that are planning a strike over some grievances. But as an association we have not reached that stage because we have been working closely with the Government to address our concerns,” he said.
“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has been updating us on the issue of the 3 000 teachers who had their salaries withheld.
“So far the teachers completed documentation of their whereabouts on the day the audit was conducted and there is evidence the documents are being processed at the Civil Service Commission.”
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) president, Dr Takavafira Zhou dismissed the industrial action reports, but encouraged Government to urgently look into the concerns of the teachers.
“We never said we were going on strike. We said we want the Government to address challenges faced by teachers so that we are not forced to go on strike during the course of the term,” he said.
“The sacking of teachers that were not on duty during the head count should be revised because some were on maternity or study leave while others had been formally excused from work.”
Government in April embarked on a physical head count of teachers throughout the country in an exercise meant to identify and flush out ghost workers.
The exercise resulted in the withholding of salaries for 3 000 teachers registered as absent at their respective stations.
Online Reporter