PTUZ Urges Teachers' Unions To Break From Apex Council

The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has proposed a grand coalition of teachers unions that can directly negotiate with government on working conditions instead of relying on the Apex Council.

PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said the proposed grand coalition of the teachers’ unions will be known as The Federation of Zimbabwe Educators’ Unions (Fozeu). Zhiu said the Apex Council has the disadvantage of being too broad to cater for every sector. Said Zhou:

Fozeu will be premised on modern dual chambers, vis a vis a central chamber for discussing general issues on salaries and conditions of service for teachers. It will also be a sectoral chamber specifically dealing with dynamics and mechanics of the profession of teachers. It (Fozeu) is also premised on the fact that other sectors that were part of the umbrella civil servants, like the health sector moved out of the Apex Council as a sector. They have successfully engaged the employer with the consequence being improved allowances. The challenge of an umbrella of all civil servants engagement with government is that where a leader is not well conversant with pertinent issues affecting some sectors, such issues may remain unresolved forever. Worse still an umbrella engagement does not allow a discussion of sectoral issues.

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