State Arrogance and Renegadism will not Jettison Trade Union Permanance in Zimbabwe

Dr Takavafira M. Zhou

Zimbabwe is a typical example of state arrogance and intransigence when it comes to respect of fair labour practice for government workers, particularly teachers. The following are typical examples of its unbridled arrogance and callousness.

1. As much as section 65 of the 2013 Constitution, ILO Conventions 87 and 98 call for collective bargaining & meaningful engagement (social dialogue), there is still collective begging under an archaic, obsolete, rusty and moribund Statutory Instrument 141 of 1997. Dialogue has not been forthcoming given the government’s prevarication and constant change of goalposts thereby creating industrial disharmony, instead of industrial harmony that enhances productivity.

2. The government unilaterally culled salaries of teachers from a basic salary of US$540 to the current basic salary of less than US$300. It is resisting the restoration of teachers’ purchasing power parity (US$540 basic salary), 30% of basic salary as rural and hardship allowance and other allowances.

3. Whereas the government agreed to quarterly reviews of salaries in 2024, it has since then been elusive and evasive, and recently declared an inability to give anything despite its commitment to quarterly reviews in 2024.

4. The Ministries of Finance and Economic Development, & Labour and Social Welfare, let alone the office of the President have not responded to petitions delivered to the respective offices, let alone acted on myriads of issues raised in the petitions.

5. The much talked about and awaited job evaluation has nothing to offer to teachers, even relegating many from their current grades. While civil servants’ salaries have since 1980 been determined by qualification, years of experience and promotion, the current review is a one armed banditry exercise reducing payment to the Paterson system (administrators and teachers), and disregarding qualifications and years of experience. One wonders whether the profession has gone to dogs or dogs have come into leadership of PSC.

6. Yet even the Paterson system is clear that a teacher joining service must stay in a two bedroomed house, while senior teachers must stay in a three bedroomed house. This implies that the housing allowance for teachers must on average be US$300 or alternatively government must then provide the houses as per specification so that teachers are house owners.

7. There is much talk of provision of houses to civil servants by PSC. Yet no one talks about what happened to the Gwindingi Teachers Housing Scheme and many others that drained the coffers of teachers but never delivered anything. Needless to mention the lack of frugality and thrift in the PSC epitomised by the deriliction of government houses inherited from the Smith regime and those built in the 1980s.

8. Defective TPC that despite its name will have more than 80% with no teaching taxonomy. Neither will it guarantee autonomy or self regulatory mechanism and professional ethics. There seems to be a movement towards control by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in general and the Minister in particular as opposed to an autonomous and self regulatory exercise by teachers as professionals.

9. There are restrictions in terms of enjoying vacation leave as a right, with many teachers denied an opportunity to take one month leave, let alone the three months leave stipulated under current regulations. That the government cannot pay for replacement of teachers on vacation leave must never be used as an opportunity to deny teachers the right to vacation leave. Worse still, the government is resisting payment of cash in lieu of leave thereby prejudicing teachers of their rights.

10. The government has also failed to ensure that a considerable number of agreed allowances reach their final consummation in terms of payment. Such allowances, include, inter-alia, bloated class, composite class, ECD, class teacher, HOD and all other responsibility allowances.

11. Sponsoring Renegadism by government in the hope of silencing legitimate teacher trade unionism seems to be the order of the day. First ZIPIT robbed teachers of large sums of money claiming they would access loans to build houses and disappeared without trace from radar because it had some protection from elites. Then came Teachers 4ED that drained school coffers in attendance of its numerous meetings. Recently a so called Zimbabwe Teachers for remuneration has emerged fronted by some well known fraudsters who have robbed other teachers of huge sums of money through dirty deals but are putting a brave face to many who are not acquainted with their dirty deals that they want to decimate unions in order to form a strong teachers union, what an oxymoron. It is clear that they are in collaboration with some interested players as they are able to pay US$4 to personnel at SSB for every teacher whose membership has ceased. This seems to be a well orchestrated scheme to cause dispondency and disunity among teachers and ultimately weaken teacher trade unionism. However, assuming that teachers can improve their salaries without unions is madness of the worst order. Teachers need to use their critical thought in order to note that trade unionism is a permanent phenomenon in order to advance collective interests and defend any gains made. Individuals can come and go but trade unionism is permanent. We welcome both Teachers 4ED and Zimbabwe Teachers for Remuneration to genuine teacher trade unionism based on operations backed by their membership and not otherwise.

12. There is a deliberate attempt to target teachers for corruption, when in reality teachers are scavenging for survival strategies. As PTUZ we welcome the suggestion that civil servants must declare their assets as a way of fighting corruption. However, we feel that the exercise must go beyond mere civil servants to everyone in Zimbabwe starting with the President of the country, government ministers and deputy ministers, members of parliament, permanent secretaries and directors as well as personnel in the private sector, parastatals and  local councils. The salaries of everyone in Zimbabwe must be public knowledge. ZACC cannot target small fish in the anti corruption crusade while leaving elite politicians and cartels responsible for high profile corruption and capital flight that have become routine rather than episodic. With proper tapping and harnessing of its abundant natural resources, the Zimbabwean government must be able to pay its government workers salaries above PDL.

13. There is a deficit of 50 000 teachers and 3000 schools in Zimbabwe, and a yearly brain drain of more than 15000 teachers (although the Ministry claims its 5000). With the government failing to recruit 8000 in any year over the past years, it entails the situation in schools will remain precarious and bloated and composite classes the order of the day, thereby heaping burning calls upon teachers in schools.

14. The PSMAS has virtually collapsed with teachers failing to access any services despite making monthly contributions. Suggestions that government workers must visit public health centres for services is puzzling in light of the public secret that there is no medication in such institutions.

15. The pension fund is riddled with viability challenges with many pensioners wallowing in poverty after retirement and getting peanuts after many years of service. Not surprisingly many pensioners hardly survive for many years after retirement.

What is, therefore, the way forward in light of the parlous state of affairs in Zimbabwe?

1. There is certainly no substitute to dialogue and logical disputation. The government must realise that it needs to engage its workers, particularly teachers as a matter of urgency.

2. The government needs to pay its workers highly particularly teachers who manage the best asset of the country in terms of pupils. At any rate teaching is the mother of all professions.

3. There is a need for a new bargaining chamber in line with Section 65 of the constitution, and adoption of binding collective bargaining as opposed to collective begging.

4. Tapping and harnessing our abundant natural resources, minimising corruption and capital flight by elite politicians and cartels, and processing our natural resources locally can generate enough resources to pay government workers well and improve service delivery. Zimbabwe cannot afford to develop by exporting raw materials and consuming products manufactured from elsewhere 45 years after independence.

4. All teachers must be unionized and collectively fight for an improvement of salaries and conditions of service.

5. There is a greater need for unity of purpose among teachers in fighting for salaries and conditions of service.

6. Renegadism and romance with the employer will never substitute genuine trade unionism. Renegades and free riders must realise that they are part of the problem of the underpayment of teachers in Zimbabwe, as more often than not they fight from the corner of the employer and weaken concerted efforts to add pressure on the employer to pay teachers well.

7. There must be serious debate and deliberations among trade union leaders and teachers in schools across the union divide on strategies and tactics and building a critical force to add pressure on the government to pay teachers reasonable salaries.

Unless teachers learn from previous encounters with their employer and government, unite as brothers and sisters they will perish as fools. But, let it be clear to the government and renegades that trade unions are an important institution in fostering fair labour practice and must be respected and not demonised. Those who wish teacher-trade unions away are in for a rude awakening, because they are here to stay. Hate them or otherwise, they are the lungs and heart of fair labour practice in any country, and there can never be any meaningful improvement of salaries and conditions of service without them.