by Claver Nyuki
His Excellency, President Emmerson Mnangagwa on many different platforms has reinforced Government’s commitment to ensuring better living standards not only for civil servants but citizens in general under the auspice of vision 2030, which has seen various economic policies and initiatives being instigated to that end.
During the old dispensation, Government was criticized heavily for introducing price controls and encouraged to let market forces determine pricing in the country, now the new dispensation took heed of the advice and avoided forcing price controls but is wrestling the spiralling inflation rate through sound economic policies and thus prices and the exchange rate have since stabilised.
Even though prices and the exchange rate has stabilised, Government has since noticed that there are some unscrupulous businesspeople who have taken advantage of the situation to unjustifiably raise prices especially transport operators.
One of the many initiatives by Government through President Mnangagwa has been the resuscitation of Zupco buses to ease the general public against exorbitant transport fares which had threated to incapacitate workers.
The Government through the Ministry of Finance has also been constantly reviewing salaries and offering cushion allowances in an attempt to safeguard citizens against the excessive price hikes of basic commodities by crooked businesspeople.
Here therein brings me to my point, Progressive Teachers Union (PTUZ) led by power hungry, Raymond Majongwe who refuses to cede power after 22 years at the helm and Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union in Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) have called for a strike and a stay away ahead of schools opening today, 14 January 2020.
Considering that Government has recognised the need to re-evaluate its employees salaries and is engaging the Apex council is a clear indication that Government is concerned with the welfare of civil servants.
Government has also agreed to cushion its employees until they reach an agreement in the negotiations between the employees and their employer.
Which comes to the point that ARTUZ and PTUZ are not being sincere in their demands and calls for a stay away. It’s known that these unions have international donors who sponsor them to cause havoc and destabilise Government in a bid to effect regime change.
It is no wonder that Majongwe is refusing to cede power after more than 2 decades at the helm. Questions arise as to his sincerity and it only shows that he is in it for the financial gains he is guaranteed from their handlers.
Another incident that comes to mind is a payslip that went viral on social media depicting just how exorbitant salaries these leaders of the teachers unions are awarding themselves and neglecting their mandate, to serve its members.
Government is seized with improving the lives of its employees and has already promised to review the salaries once Government and Apex council agree on a figure.
