President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, George Charamba, has told teachers to leave their profession and join other government departments if they are not happy with their salaries.
Charamba said this in response to the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union (ARTUZ), which had lamented the paltry monthly salaries of teachers which they said are less than the daily allowances for other civil servants.
In a post on Twitter, ARTUZ said:
A government official working under the drought relief program earns a daily allowance which surpasses a teacher’s monthly salary.
The same government which approves these allowances denies us a paltry USD520 as monthly salary. If you are a teacher and report for duty under these circumstances, you need therapy.
In response, Charamba told the teachers to try lateral transfer, which occurs when an employee moves from one position to another position at the same pay grade within an organisation.
He wrote:
In Government, there is something called lateral transfer; it’s perfectly legal. Try that!
This comes amid revelations that government officials who are working under the drought relief programme are earning US$5 for breakfast, US$10 for lunch, US$15 for dinner, and US$30 for unapproved bed and breakfast per day.