By Staff Reporter

TEACHERS have objected to government’s decision to award different levels of allowances to the security sector and the rest of the civil service.

In a no-holds-barred petition presented to President Emmerson Mnangagwa Wednesday, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) warned the future of the country’s children was in peril.

Government recently announced it had awarded the rest of civil servants including teachers a 17% salary adjustment, the development coming a week after the army received 22,5% with the police getting 20% special allowance.

The reaction by teachers has been angry and swift.

“We would like to strongly protest against the 17,5% salary increment that was imposed on teachers by the Civil Service Commission,” said PTUZ. 

“Teachers may not have guns to make their point known but they deal with delicate lives of young learners. Their industry is that (point) where y He country’s building blocks are either made perfect or deformed.

“The effects of government’s neglect of the education sector may not be felt now but future generations will feel them.”

The petition raised a variety of grievances including issues of housing, suspended leave days as well as other ancillary benefits.

PTUZ said disparities between uniformed forces and other civil servants was tantamount to discrimination.

“The salary awards are unnecessarily discriminatory and create the impression that there are some civil servants that are more important than others.

“The salary differences that have been put in place by government do nothing but create a sense of injustice and palpable anger among our members,” the union said.

Critics have accused Mnangagwa of seeking to appease the military given he came to power on the back of a bloodless coup last November that forced then President Robert Mugabe to resign.