Zimbabwean teachers who have chosen to stay away from work citing financial incapacitation will not receive their wages.

Public Service Commission secretary Jonathan Wutawunashe said in a press statement Friday that government’s wage payment arm has been ordered to withhold wages from absentee civil servants.

“The Salary Service Bureau has been instructed to process salary payments for civil servants strictly on the basis of work attendance registers submitted by Government Ministries and Departments.

“Ministries will indicate cases where personnel has been officially excused from duty to ensure the inclusion of such personnel on the payroll. Government commends the majority of civil servants for continuing to serve the public with dedication and commitment,” said Wutawunashe.

When local schools reopened early this month following a prolonged closure due to the Covid-19 induced national lockdown, a lot of schoolteachers elected to remain at home claiming their wages could not meet their livelihoods and fares to report to work.

A ministry official said this week that 30 percent of the 140 000 strong teaching workforce has been absent from duty.

But commenting Friday on the decision by withhold salaries by government, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe was adamant government should not dodge the real issues affecting the educators.

“Bhadharai vanhu maCdes. Very few people absent themselves just for jolly. Unlike top gvt officials who have various incomes, including T&Ss, teachers mostly depend on the $22k-30k that you pay them. The incapacitation is real,” said the teachers union.

-ZimStar