Teachers to sue govt over stalled wage talks 

Source: Teachers to sue govt over stalled wage talks –Newsday Zimbabwe

Richard Gundane

THE Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) says it has resolved to approach the courts after government ignored its ultimatum to disband the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC).

The union demanded that a new collective bargaining council be constituted and gave government up to the end of 2022 to meet this demand, claiming that the NJNC was not representing the interests of its members.

Civil servants have been demanding at least US$540 for the lowest paid worker in 2022, but government has been adamant that it cannot sustain such wages.

In July this year, labour unions under the banner Federation of Zimbabwe Educators Union pulled out of the NJNC, citing its failure to “uphold labour constitutional rights as enshrined in section 65(1) of the Constitution which calls for collective bargaining.”

Zimta president Richard Gundane told NewsDay that there was lack of progress on the part of government to disband NJNC and replace it with the collective bargaining chamber (CBC).

“There is lack of progress on that issue because by now we should have come up with the law that supports collective bargaining; it’s there in the Constitution.  But a collective bargaining council has not yet been formed. We had petitioned Parliament during this year and previous years. Over and above that, we are now resorting to the courts so that they can look into the matter urgently and give directions. So this is the direction that we have taken as we come towards the end of year,” Gundani said.

“We respect the law, determination must come from the law, and the law delivers justice. It’s stated in the Constitution that civil servants must be granted collective bargaining rights.  Clearly those organs are not in place so, therefore, justice must prevail in terms of pressing the relevant arms of government to come up with amendments to the Public Service Act as well as constituting the collective bargaining council that we require,” he said.

In response, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry secretary Simon Masanga said: “I don’t have a ready answer at the moment on the issue; I’ll have to find out.”

Early this year, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister Paul Mavima said government was in the process of replacing the NJNC with a CBC after calls by civil servants to disband it.