Staff Reporter
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) leader, Obert Masaraure’s shift towards the Job Sikhala Solidarity Council (JSSC) is perceived by many as an attempt to regain relevance after the union faced challenges in gaining traction among teachers, the Harare Post has learnt.
A source who spoke to this publication revealed that ARTUZ, under Masaraure's leadership, struggled to maintain significance as teachers increasingly gravitated towards alternative avenues for negotiations with the Government.
According to the source, Masaraure seems to have recognized the changing dynamics within the teaching community, acknowledging that educators are well aware of the correct path for their negotiations. In light of this realization, he has turned his attention to the Job Sikhala Solidarity Council, seeking to carve out a new space for himself and regain influence in the broader activism landscape.
“The union seemed to lose its appeal with educators opting for more effective and recognized channels to voice their concerns and address labour-related issues. The teachers can now negotiate freely with the Government through the Tripartite Negotiating Forum Act, 2019 (Act No. 3 of 2019) which seeks to establish a Tripartite Negotiating Forum and confer powers and functions on the Forum in relation to consultation, cooperation and negotiation on social and economic issues by Government, organized business and organized labour, and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto,” explained the source.
The source further stated that the JSSC, spearheaded by Job Sikhala, presents a platform that Masaraure believes could offer a more effective and resonant voice for the causes he advocates.
Meanwhile, Masaraure last month addressed a presser where he informed that JSSC intended to magnify the call for the immediate release of Sikhala. However, Msaraure`s courage to be part and parcel of the JSSC was influenced by the acquittal of the leader of Transform Zimbabwe, Jacob Ngarivhume yesterday.
