Paul Nyathi|The ruling ZANU PF Aligned Zimbabwe National Teachers Union is on cloud nine declaring vindication after the Zimbabwe Teachers Association and the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe unceremoniously called off the one week teachers strike action late Sunday night.

In an interview with state media on Sunday, Zinatu chief executive officer Manuel Nyawo said they had been vindicated as a union on their clarion call and advice to their colleagues — Zimta and PTUZ — that the strike they had decided to call off yesterday was technically illegal.

“We have been receiving a barrage of attacks and unnecessary onslaught by innocent members of the teaching fraternity on allegations of selling out, yet the truth was that dialogue with the employer had not been exhausted as Government’s doors were and are still open for further and continuous negotiations.

“In terms of rules of procedure, there had not been a duly signed deadlock between the workers’ representatives and Government, making the strike technically offside. However, we wish to plead with Government to consider wavering its decision to punish all the teachers who took part in the illegal strike as they were being misinformed by their leaders. They say to err is human and we further plead that the employer should not apply the ‘ignorance of the law is no defense concept’,” said Nyawo.

Last week the union strongly opposed the call to go on strike claiming that the opposition MDC was leading the other unions to go on strike.