By Staff Reporter

The Federation of Zimbabwe Educators Unions (FOZEU) has set tough conditions ahead of this week’s National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) insisting that the workers representatives should not accept a salary review below USD1260.

In a statement, FOZEU as represented by Tafadzwa Munodawafa and Obert Masaraure said they are currently consulting their membership with a view to calling a national strike.

Masaraure and Munodawafa urged government to pay a living wage to its workforce.

“We note that the NJNC will convene a meeting where government is expected to announce a salary review without going through collective bargaining. Our demand remains USD 1 260 and our fight back tactic remains rooted in the consciousness of the teachers themselves,” said Masaraure and Munodawafa.

“FOZEU is currently conducting a strike ballot across schools to gather views of teachers with regards to calling for a national strike,” the two added.

In a statement yesterday, the Zimbabwe Congress of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU) expressed its frustration over deteriorating economic conditions and a lack of progress on salary negotiations.

“As government workers, we have borne the brunt of the current economic downturn. We have watched the value of our wages getting eroded daily to the extent that we are now chronically incapacitated,” he said.

“Our lives and welfare have become a nightmare, and the delay in holding an NJNC [National Joint Negotiating Council] three months into the first quarter clearly shows the employer’s lack of concern towards our plight much against the standard practice of quarterly negotiations.”