Majongwe arrested over teachers' strike

Majongwe arrested over teachers' strike

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By Lebo Nkatazo

ZIMBABWEAN police Wednesday arrested Progressive Teachers Union president Raymond Majongwe and two other unionists on allegations of inciting teachers to go on strike, his lawyer said.

Harare lawyer Andrew Makoni last night said he was at Harare Central Police Station with his client, but no charges had been preffered.

Makoni said the police were accusing Majongwe of inciting teachers to go on strike in Mabvuku and at Haig Park Primary School in Malbereign.

His arrest come weeks after police arrested and charged three Harare Hospital nurses under the draconian Public Order and Security Act (POSA) for inciting other nurses at Parirenyatwa Hospital to join the industrial action.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) condemned the arrests. The labour unions' umbrella body said the arrests are a violation of human rights, as teachers are allowed to go on strike.

“The least paid teacher is earning $84 000 while the poverty datum line is hovering around $566 000," The ZCTU said in a statement. "This is degrading and inhuman to teachers... as long as teachers, and other workers of Zimbabwe, including the army and police are not earning PDL equated wages, strike action will characterise 2007."

Launching his party’s defiance campaign in Harare recently, opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Arthur Mutambara said his party was in support of the strike action by teachers and doctors.

With inflation of close to 1600 percent, Zimbabwe's economy has suffered and the government has been unable to adjust the salaries of civil servants in line with inflation.

Political analysts say the state of the economy may yet lead to be President Robert Mugabe's downfall after 27 years in power.
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