By Dr Takavafira Zhou| 2020 was a wasted year in terms of welfare, health and safety of teachers. High on the Agenda of the United Front of teachers in 2021 is urgent social dialogue to guarantee better salaries for teachers, industrial harmony and productivity in 2021.

We therefore urge gvt to urgently engage teacher unions as opposed to moribund, archaic and obsolete Apex Council for social dialogue. Teachers cannot wait longer to get starvation wages, and the earlier gvt takes the initiative to kick start robust collective bargaining as opposed to collective begging, the better.

We also appeal to gvt to avail relevant paper work to schools so that several teachers that so far have tested positive to covid 19 can complete and get assistance. It’s sad that several teachers have approached district and provincial offices without getting any assistance in terms of gvt assistance to covid 19 positive teachers. Our members are becoming more and more agitated as they fail to get assistance.

Teachers cannot continue to be treated as if they are of no account. Teachers are in essence arbiters of a nation’s destiny and must be treated well.

Venceremos

Dr Takavafira M. Zhou