(NEWZIMBABWE) Majongwe backs Mugabe victory
07/08/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
PROGRESSIVE Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) leader, Raymond Majongwe, has congratulated President Robert Mugabe on his victory in last week’s elections.
Majongwe, a former ally of outgoing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T party said he hoped Mugabe would move to address the plight of teachers who unsuccessfully struggled for better pay under the coalition government.
“The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe with a membership of more than 15 000 would like to congratulate you (Mugabe) and your party, Zanu PF on winning the just ended harmonised elections by 61 percent and securing more than two thirds majority in the legislature,’’ Majongwe said in his statement.
“This in itself is a sign of confidence in your leadership by the people of Zimbabwe who have given you the sole mandate to form the next government until the next national plebiscite in 2018.”
Majongwe said teachers were disappointed that the coalition government had failed to address their plight and singled out MDC-T public service minister Lucia Matibenga for particular criticism.
He said the government failed to take action against Matibenga after she refused to meet the leadership of the civil servants to discuss their conditions of service.
“As if this was not bad enough, no political party in the inclusive Government did anything to the Minister of Labour and Social Services who connived in the decimation and weakening of the labour movement through failing to handle the dispute in the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) resulting in workers across the political divide being left alone like sheep without a shepherd,” he said.
The PTUZ urged Mugabe to appoint competent ministers in his next government to help move the country forward.
Labels: 2013 ELECTIONS (ZW), PTUZ, RAYMOND MAJONGWE, ROBERT MUGABE
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Low grade 12 pass rate disappoints teachers
By Moses Kuwema
Sun 17 Feb. 2013, 10:40 CAT
THE Professional Teachers Union of Zambia says it is extremely disappointed with the low pass rate at grade 12 which it has attributed to examination leakages and absenteeism of subject teachers.
In a statement, PTUZ general secretary Kangwa Musenga stated that the poor results should call for tough measures in secondary schools to curb leakages and absenteeism.
He stated that the union would submit a proposal to the Ministry of Education on how to address leakages and absenteeism so that the 2013 grade 12 pass rate could improve.
Education minister Dr John Phiri on Friday announced that the number of pupils who obtained school certificates in last year's grade 12 examination had reduced by 1.8 per cent.
He attributed the poor performance to pupils' lack of commitment to academic work.
Dr Phiri said out of the total of 103,853 candidates that sat for the examinations, 60,319 candidates obtained school certificates, translating into 58.1 per cent as compared to 59.9 per cent recorded in 2011.
And Musenga stated that PTUZ wants the government to quickly announce the date of commencement of the salary and conditions of service negotiations as the current collective agreement comes to an end on February 28, 2013.
He stated that the delay had brought a lot of insinuations and rumour mongering among teacher members.
"This must be addressed by commencing the salary and conditions of service negotiations," stated Musenga.
Labels: EDUCATION, PTUZ
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Sata retires education PS
By Fridah Nkonde
Mon 05 Nov. 2012, 12:20 CAT
PRESIDENT Michael Sata has retired Ministry of Education permanent secretary Miriam Chinyama. And
Professional Teachers Union of Zambia has described the removal of Chinyama from her position as long overdue.
In a statement released in Lusaka yesterday, PTUZ general secretary Kangwa Musenga stated that the union was worried with the pace of educational reforms with Chinyama at the helm.
"We strongly believe that the President's decision to remove her must serve as a warning that the current government wants proper direction in the way the Ministry of Education is run," Musenga said.
He appealed to President Sata to appoint a seasoned civil servant to replace her.
Meanwhile, PTUZ has strongly condemned the suspension of its president Vincent Mwitumwa and provincial chairperson Fabian Chilala by Monze District Education Board Secretary.
Labels: MICHAEL SATA, MIRIAM CHINYAMA, PERMANENT SECRETARIES, PTUZ
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Copperbelt teachers urge quick recognition of PTUZ
By Fridah Nkonde in Ndola
Wed 15 Feb. 2012, 11:59 CAT
TEACHERS on the Copperbelt have asked the Ministry of Education to quickly sign the recognition agreement with the Professional Teachers Union of Zambia. Professional Teacher's Union of Zambia Copperbelt early this month held its first national convention in Lusaka where it national executive committee was elected.
In an interview, PTUZ provincial chairperson Richard Mweetwa said teachers on the Copperbelt were not going to recognise the bargaining outcome should his union be excluded from negotiations.
"…This is because they have chosen to be members of Professional Teacher's Union of Zambia rather than other unions which were MMD vuvuzelas," he said.
Mweetwa said as provincial leaders, they were cautioning teachers who were being sponsored by other teacher unions to desist from making false statements concerning PTUZ.
He said those claiming to be founder members of PTUZ would have been present at the union's first convention, adding that they would have been free to contest any position.
"Our advice to them is that not everyone can have a position. Just like in any political party, not every founding member can be given a position so they should follow the laid down procedure to air out their concerns," said Mweetwa.
Labels: COPPERBELT PROVINCE, PTUZ, TEACHERS
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PETUZ calls for resignation of ZCTU leadership
By Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Wed 05 Oct. 2011, 05:20 CAT
PROFESSIONAL Teachers Union of Zambia (PTUZ) says the current leadership of the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) must resign as they have failed workers in the country.
PTUZ general secretary Kangwa Musenga said the top leadership of the ZCTU abandoned their responsibilities in the Rupiah Banda regime as they were more on the side of the government and not the workers. Musenga said workers in the country could not continue with leaders that turned themselves into MMD cadres.
"It was morally wrong for the ZCTU leaders to remain in office when they had abandoned their fundamental responsibilities of representing the labour movement and pushing the agenda of good governance in a democratic dispensation.
The current wave of protests going round in the country by workers clearly showed how ZCTU failed to notice the problems workers had or it simply means the ZCTU deliberately ignored the plight of workers because they became MMD cadres. This is unacceptable, almost all workers protesting, it also shows that the ZCTU leadership was compromised by the employer," Musenga said.
He said workers in the country needed strong representatives at all times. Musenga said ZCTU affiliates must call for an extra-ordinary general meeting to elect new leaders who must compete for positions without intimidation.
He said PTUZ was humbled by the appointment of former ZCTU president Fackson Shamenda as labour minister and former MUZ president Rayford Mbulu as deputy minister, adding that the two would help clean the mess at the ministry.
Musenga said the union was confident that the new education minister Dr John Phiri would improve education standards in the country. He said several teachers were suspended during elections by the MMD government because of their support for PTUZ and it was the hope of the union that the suspensions would be uplifted.
Musenga said government must also expedite the process of signing the recognition agreement for PTUZ as Banda's government refused to recognise the union's existence on unfounded and false accusations that it was a wing of the Patriotic Front.
Labels: PTUZ, TRADE UNIONS, ZCTU
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Civil servants get pay hike
01/07/2011 00:00:00
by Owen Gagare I NewsDay
THE government on Friday awarded civil servants a salary increment which will see a US$31 rise in the basic salary of the lowest-earning employee.
The least-paid government worker will now get a basic salary of US$159, up from US$128, while housing allowance has been pegged at US$50 from US$30 and transport allowance at US$44 from US$28, bringing the total package to US$253, which is half of the poverty datum line figure currently pegged at US$502.
President Robert Mugabe promised back in April that the lowest paid government worker would take home a minimum of US$251 starting in June, but Finance Minister Tendai Biti insisted at the time the government had no money to award a pay increase.
The Apex Council, which represents all civil servants, accepted the increase although the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), which has called for a teachers’ strike, dismissed the increment as paltry.
PTUZ secretary-general Raymond Majongwe stormed out of a press conference called by the Apex Council to announce the increment, accusing the body of accepting “peanuts”.
Apex Council is composed of PTUZ, the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association, the Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, the College Lecturers’ Association of Zimbabwe and Public Service Association.
Tendai Chikowore, the Apex Council president, said the increment would be with effect from July 1 and will be effective until December 31. She said the next review would be in January 2012.
"A protracted process on negotiations and consultations between government and the Apex council leadership, which culminated in the historic meeting with President Mugabe on April 6, 2011, has resulted in an agreement on the levels of remuneration to be paid to civil servants and defined a way forward towards the attainment of the PDL-informed remuneration package for the least-paid civil servants," Chikowore said.
Majongwe said: “We don’t need a spirit medium to speak on our behalf. As PTUZ, we are very disappointed and we want to state it categorically and without doubt that we are unhappy.”
But, other union leaders accused Majongwe of seeking cheap publicity, claiming his organisation had accepted the salary hike during negotiations only to renege at the press briefing.
The Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe CEO Michael Nyawo, credited Mugabe for the pay rise and said his union was taking the strike option off the table.
"He (President Mugabe) said something would come and this is the something. At least this is a roadmap for greater things to come. Though it was not exactly what we wanted, we understand the economy is not performing as expected but at least action has been taken," he said.
Labels: CIVIL SERVANTS, PTUZ, SALARIES
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Tsvangirai is insensitive, Mugabe is a hero: Majongwe
By: TSM
Posted: Sunday, November 21, 2010 2:57
IN a major position shift, the leader of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Mr Raymond Majongwe, has described President Mugabe as a hero pursuing policies aimed at benefiting the majority of Zimbabweans while dismissing the MDC-T as an ideologically bankrupt party with no agenda besides regime change.
In an interview last week, the outspoken Mr Majongwe also dismissed the MDC-T’s chances of winning the next elections, saying it would be worse than expecting milk from a hen.
“They have no agenda, they have no programme. What if President Mugabe is out of the question, because apart from saying ‘Mugabe must go’, what else are they saying?”
Mr Majongwe said MDC-T had nothing to offer the people of Zimbabwe. He took a swipe at the party’s leadership for being insensitive to the needs of the people.
“Since they came into Government in February 2009, we as teacher representatives have only met him (Mr Morgan Tsvangirai) once, and they don’t even consult.”
Mr Majongwe praised President Mugabe for his principled stance on matters affecting the people of Zimbabwe, describing him as a living legend.
“He is a hero and no one will take that away from him. He has done a lot for the country and the continent.
"This man has left a mark in our lives that is hard to forget, and it will be naive not to recognise President Mugabe as a hero. He is a living legend and a great man.”
He also lashed out at the undiplomatic behaviour of the country’s Ambassador to Australia, Ms Jacqueline Zwambila, who reportedly stripped in front of male subordinates whom she allegedly accused of leaking information to the media.
“When MDC-T got into Government they were supposed to immediately stop behaving like an opposition party but like a government.
"They created a lot of expectations and a lot of people, especially the constituency I represent (teachers), feel betrayed because besides being chauffeur driven, they have not done anything for the people.”
Mr Majongwe said the boycott of Cabinet meetings by Prime Minister Tsvangirai had no effect, suggesting that he could be taking instructions from outside his party.
“We now wonder from whose corner he is fighting. Why is he boycotting Cabinet meetings at this stage?
"The Prime Minister is being ill-advised by those close to him and it is time he starts making the right decisions.”
Labels: MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, PTUZ, RAYMOND MAJONGWE
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Teachers' union demands compromised by MDC-T
Comment by Bhekizulu Sibanda
Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:18:00 +0000
WITH the issue of public service salaries still a contentious issue Progressive Teachers Union (PTUZ) Secretary General, Raymond Majongwe is embattled in a fierce clash with Takawira Zhou, PTUZ President over the intended strike by teachers.
Majongwe who is believed to have met Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai recently at his Munhumutapa offices in Harare where he claims he was told that the government had no money is totally against the intended strike.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai is believed to have told Majongwe to pacify his Union so that MDC-T would not be embarrassed by its failure to improve the welfare of teachers after having made an impassionate plea to all teachers to return home promising them lucrative salaries and improved working conditions.
Tsvangirai who is being forced to take back his words is facing a major showdown from teachers and civil servants alike who have realized the futility of the promise.
Still a year down the line, the conditions have remained appalling as the education sector continues to be riddled by an exodus of teachers and schools recording an all time low pass rate from public examinations.
The low pass rate has been attributed to low morale and lack of incentives especially from teachers in rural areas who have to teach under strenuous conditions.
With no end in sight, Majongwe insists that teachers are supposed to understand government’s position, which is battling with so much and yet it has to operate with so little.
Zhou insists that understanding government’s position was not good enough for their members who have been operating under very difficult circumstances. He added that their members had shown a very high level of patriotism and commitment over the past years and it was only dignified to reward them.
Teachers whose salaries fall within the same income bracket with the rest of civil servants have been receiving a paltry US$150 and have had their salaries increased to US$160 during the current financial year by the government against a poverty datum line of US$500.
Majongwe’s reluctance to participate in striking comes as a surprise to many as he was previously seen as a fierce democrat who pushed for workers' rights.
Prior to the GPA, he was instrumental in pushing for strikes against the Zanu PF government demanding better working conditions and meaningful salaries.
The advent of the inclusive Government saw the PTUZ taking a sympathetic approach towards the government and refusing to strike on the understanding that the government was operating on a shoestring budget.
Parallels can be drawn across the Limpopo where COSATU and the ANC government enjoy a cordial working relationship and the union will continuously push for dialogue as opposed to confrontation.
However the dangers of such unions are that the workers are compromised as their leadership and government enjoy their felonious relationship.
Government wants to maintain these relationships to avert potential strikes and embarrassment and the leadership are given incentives as kickbacks at the expense of employee welfare.
Where Majongwe’s allegiance lies is an open secret and unquestionable, and if rumours that he was promised a diplomatic posting by the MDC-T if he successfully manages to stop teachers from striking is true then the chances of PTUZ joining in the civil servants strike are slim.
Labels: PTUZ, RAYMOND MAJONGWE, TAKAWIRA ZHOU, TEACHERS
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