Absenteeism and incapacitation are two different Things: PTUZ

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The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) is fuming over the government’s withdrawal of salaries to incapacitated teachers who have not been reporting for duty.

Zimbabwe Observer presents a full statement by the PTUZ President Takavafira Zhou:

This is a rebuttal of our communique dated 22 October 2021 entitled Absenteeism and Incapacitation are two Different Things that urged gvt to urgently address the quandary and poverty facing teachers. As Ptuz, we want to reiterate our long held view that teachers in Zimbabwe are not absconding from duty but are incapacitated. For PSC Minister, Prof Mavima to claim that teachers “abscond from work …. How do you expect gvt to pay teachers who do not want to work”, is not only unfortunate but also callous and ill-conceived.

Prof Mavima must also be schooled to respect the law so that, should he assume that teachers have absconded from work as he does, he must order the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to summon teachers for hearings rather than use the colonial Master and Servant Act to dock teachers’ salaries under a misplaced ruse of ‘no work, no pay.’ It is not even an offence to be absent from work. It only becomes an offence when one is absent without a good cause. Surely, incapacitation is a good cause.

We, therefore, want to overemphasise the point that the so-called absenteeism must be clearly taken in its proper perspective of incapacitation. We therefore urge all teachers whose salaries have been docked to urgently contact Unions of their choice in order to embark on natural justice in defence of the teaching profession. The legal defence must be based on the following, viz,

teacher’s payslip
-a list of priorities that were covered and failed to be covered
-bills i.e. electricity, water, medical etc.
-School fees
-Accommodation costs
-Transport costs etc There is no doubt that a consideration of all these would find teachers NOT GUILTY of any misconduct or absenteeism. If any teacher has been found ‘guilty’ it is prudent to approach your union in order to immediately appeal against such a callous and monumental labour injustice. That appeal must attach the above stated evidence of incapacitation. Any reasonable person will realise that teachers have not been been voluntarily absenting themselves from duty but are incapacitated, and therefore were ‘absent’ with good cause. We urge all school heads, all DSIs, DPEDs and DPEDs to comprehend this simple deductive syllogism. A considerable number of some school heads are also nichodemously sending names of teachers to education offices without the temerity of informing teachers who are surprised to find themselves without pay on pay day. The system is also used to settle old scores in schools. We want to remind some school heads that they need to operate within the law and do their work diligently, and without using the system of sending names to solve personal vendattas in schools. Where such names are sent, it is also prudent to provide a copy of what you send to members concerned. Members whose salaries have been docked need also to check with their school heads to ascertain the authenticity of the deductions.

What is evident is that gvt owes every teacher more than US$440 per month since October 2018. Such an employer has no locus standi to dock anything from teachers’ salaries since the employer is instrumental in incapacitating teachers. An injury to one teacher over incapacitation, is an injury to all teachers in Zimbabwe. Justice denied, is justice delayed. Gvt must never underestimate angry, hungry and poverty stricken teachers. Engagement with teacher union leaders is more productive than command and control tactics. Ultimately, teachers must liberate themselves. Unity in diversity, and walking teachers’ talk will revive the status of teachers. Let all teachers in Zimbabwe raise the incapacitation flag high in every school. We have nothing to lose but our poverty, and a profession to protect against cold and calculated educational vandalism.

Venceremos

Dr Takavafira M. Zhou, Ptuz President