Government fails to pay teachers promised salary increases

By Tichaona Sibanda
19 March 2008

The cash strapped government has failed to honour Mugabe’s election promise, two weeks ago, to pay hefty salary increases to striking teachers. When teachers were paid on Tuesday, they were shocked to receive only their old salaries.

Teachers who had been on strike since February had called off their industrial action after Mugabe’s announcement that he had authorised a massive pay hike.

Reports from Harare said the President of the pro-government Zimbabwe Teachers Association, Tendai Chikowore, confirmed teachers had not received the salary increases as promised.

Raymond Majongwe, secretary general of the more militant Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) said teachers who got paid Tuesday were shocked to discover that government had paid old salaries instead of the promised windfall.

The PTUZ leader said after urgent consultations they had been told that the Public Service Commission (PSC), which employs all civil servants, was making frantic efforts to make sure that the new salaries are paid before the end of the month.

PSC chairman Mariyawanda Nzuwa admitted that the government could not pay the new salaries this week, attributing the problem to ‘administrative challenges’.

Sources have said Mugabe, under pressure to pacify civil servants ahead of crucial elections on March 29, agreed to their demands for huge salary increases even though his government does not have the money.