By Staff Reporter
THE Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has appealed to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), seeking its intervention in a protracted dispute with government over the demand for a living wage—a dispute that has persisted since October 2018.
In correspondence submitted to the ZHRC, the union detailed a series of incidents in which teachers have not only been underpaid but have also suffered a litany of infringements upon their constitutional rights.
In a statement, ARTUZ president Obert Masaraure said teachers had alerted the ZHRC to what they describe as the government’s ongoing violations of labour and human rights.
“The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has today, 23 May 2025, officially submitted a detailed complaint to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), highlighting the government’s sustained and systematic violation of teachers’ fundamental rights,” said Masaraure.
He added: “The complaint outlines serious breaches of constitutional and labour rights including:
1) Denial of the right to a fair wage (Section 65(1) of the Constitution)
2) Suppression of the right to strike and freedom of protest,
3) Refusal to honour the right to collective bargaining (Section 65(5),
4) Infringement of women’s rights through denial of absolute paid maternity leave.”
The union maintains that these complaints are substantiated by legal arguments referencing both international labour standards and regional precedents, and has called upon the ZHRC to intervene.
ARTUZ is demanding that the government pays teachers a fair and living wage of at least US$1,260 per month, guarantee the constitutional right to strike and peaceful protest, align the Public Service Act and its regulations with the Constitution, uphold women’s labour rights by granting absolute paid maternity leave, and foster genuine dialogue with trade unions to rebuild a meaningful social contract.
The union further claims to have meticulously documented cases of harassment, unlawful dismissal, intimidation, and the systematic silencing of educators who speak out or demand justice.
Masaraure cited the arrest and protracted trial of ARTUZ secretary general Robson Chere, as well as the punitive disciplinary measures imposed on more than 50 union members for their lawful participation in strikes and peaceful picketing, as illustrative examples.
“Our teachers are not demanding miracles — they are demanding justice. What is being done to educators in Zimbabwe is a violation of both our Constitution and our humanity,” said Masaraure.
ARTUZ has called upon the media, civil society and other stakeholders to stand in solidarity with teachers in their quest for what the union describes as a just, equitable and rights-based education system in Zimbabwe.
Against this backdrop, the Zimbabwean government continues to grapple with the challenge of paying civil servants a living wage, with similar grievances being raised by lecturers and staff across State universities.