Teachers demand USD, threaten strike

By Caroline Chiimba

The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) has said its members will go on strike if they are not paid their salaries in US dollars this month.

This is despite the country experiencing severe shortages of foreign currency which recently evoked memories of the hyperinflationary days of 2008 when panicking ordinary people engaged in panic buying at the supermarkets.

Government has also maintained that the bond note and Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) are at par with the US dollar — which on paper means the coveted greenback is still considered as the widely used currency.

In a press statement, Zimta president Richard Gundane claimed the situation at most schools had worsened and teachers were now facing difficulties to discharge their duties.

“Should the government fail to address these demands positively this month of November; the incapacitated teachers are left with no option but to down tools.

“In our situation, there is a glaring wage theft and the systematic erosion of the value of our salaries and hyper-inflation hitherto hovering around 300 percent,” said Gundane.

“These are so demanded in line with the national budget announcement set for November 22, 2018, and we call upon the government to highly prioritise the education sector,” he added further saying the Zimta members were anxious about this year’s bonuses. DailyNews