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Activism
is everybody's business ~
Support the teachers' strike
People single
me out for being an activist, but I always say that the impulse
is inborn - it just needs to be nurtured. It starts when you're
little, and you see some kids being unkind to another kid on the
bus. Maybe you do something. Maybe you don't. But there was that
little hint in your brain that something was wrong, that you weren't
comfortable with the situation. Throughout your life, you have
the opportunity to learn from that experience, to react to that
little voice inside of you that says something has crossed your
moral bottom line, and honor your impulse. The very core of being
an activist is being true to yourself.
~ Susan Sarandon
Like the rest
of the population, Zimbabwe's teachers have been struggling to look
after themselves and their families in the face of soaring inflation.
No sooner are they awarded a salary increment than it is eroded
by inflation.
In June, coordinated
actions earlier this year by teachers' associations including the
Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe
(PTUZ) saw them reject the 200% salary increment initially offered
by government, and settle on a 600% increase which put their standard
wage at $2.9 million per month.
Barely four
months later, the Central Statistical Office has announced that
the Poverty Datum Line stands at $12 million for a family of five.
The teachers' current wage is less than a quarter of that.
Both the PTUZ
and the Zimbabwe Teachers' Union have rejected the government's
September offer of a 91% salary increment, which would put their
basic wage at $5 million a month.
To make sure
their voice is heard, PTUZ initially launched a sit-in, where teachers
reported at their schools, but did not teach the students. When
that did not change things, they moved on to a stay away, which
ZIMTA is also beginning to participate in.
Entrusted with
the all-important job of educating our children - and thus preparing
our country's future, teachers deserve a living wage.
Show your support
for the striking teachers by contacting the PTUZ on ptuz@africaonline.co.zw
or send a solidarity SMS on their hotlines:
+263 912 358
274
+263 912 849 730
+263 912 880 308
+263 912 849 947
+263 23 689 147
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