Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) said it was seeking an urgent meeting with the VP, and hopes it may stop the “victimisation” that teachers are being subjected to.
A fortnight ago, government sent out a circular to all schools directing that teachers on vacation report to their stations for a head count by the Civil Service Commission.
The logic behind the recall was to ascertain if those on leave were bona fide employees not ghost workers.
In an interview with the Daily News yesterday, PTUZ national coordinator Ladistous Zunde said they hope Mnangagwa would restore sanity.
“Maybe he (Mnangagwa) will intervene in our plight,” Zunde said.
“Government cannot just disregard a legal directive set out in Statutory Instrument (SI) 1 of 2000 which clearly states that teachers are entitled to their vacation.
“If they had revised the SI, we would not even be complaining but that was not the issue. Government is breaking the law and that is not acceptable.”
He said government promised them various non-monetary incentives but to date nothing has materialised.
Zunde said apart from seeking an audience with Mnangagwa, they also filed a lawsuit against government protesting against the recall.
According to the union, government has lost money “auditing and recounting us using fake, uncouth inspectors who are actually ghost workers themselves.
“If by now they don’t have the real staff complement under their employ then they must resign en masse,” PTUZ said.
“We are surprised that the same people have the audacity to blame parastatals of mismanagement when they equally are just as bad.”
Last week, Zimbabwe Teachers
Association (Zimta) issued a statement saying they were challenging the government in court.
“Zimta advises all teachers on leave not to report to work until proper procedures, such as inviting individuals back to work using individual letters, have been followed,” the union said.
Zimbabwe Democratic Teachers’ Union and Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe also threatened to demonstrate against the recall.