Teachers welcome new perks

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
TEACHERS have welcomed the new salary regime announced by the Government, which will see part of their wages being paid in foreign currency with several other non-monetary benefits.

The educators said a hybrid salary regime where part of the salary is paid in foreign currency and the rest in local currency is what workers have been lobbying for.

Treasury on Tuesday announced a new salary schedule for all civil servants, which will see workers getting a 20 percent salary increment backdated to January as well as a US$100 component.

This will see civil servants taking home a total of US$175 in cash while the rest of their salaries will be paid in local currency.
Non-monetary benefits include payment of school fees for teachers’ biological children.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive officer, Dr Sifiso Ndlovu, said the Government has listened to the pleas of the employees although more needs to be done,

“As an executive, we are saying that the increment is not enough but we welcome the principle that employees will be partially paid in foreign currency,” he said.

“That is a new dimension in the salaries for civil servants and that principle is very accepted.

“The Government has taken the position that we have always been calling for in different forums.

“We are also not encouraging that we resolve issues through such impasses because that disturbs the education sector.”

Dr Ndlovu said the introduction of an advancement award, which recognises seniority within civil service was also welcome as the previous salary structure did not reward long service.

“We had cases where a principal in a college was being paid a salary that was almost the same as that of a teacher and we believe that was not fair.

“So, we appreciate the decompression of the salary regime that has been introduced.

“We also take note of the subsidy that has been given to teachers, to say Government will pay $20 000 for teachers’ children.

“That is a relief for the young teachers who still have school going children,” he said.

Dr Ndlovu said the non-monetary benefits were important especially in taming the inflationary environment.

He called on the Government to bring forward the pay dates for teachers so that they can report for duty .-@nqotshili