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Teachers Suffer As Government Ignores Civil Servants\u2019 Plight\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
By A Correspondent \u2013 Civil servants in Zimbabwe continue to earn salaries that are shockingly below the actual cost of living, with many struggling to feed their families and meet basic household needs, according to the Zimbabwe Teachers\u2019 Association (ZIMTA).<\/p>\n
In a statement issued on March 12, ZIMTA condemned the government for using the Poverty Datum Line (PDL) as a benchmark for wages, calling it \u201cmisleading and utterly inadequate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReferencing public sector salaries against the Poverty Datum Line is an incorrect and misleading benchmark for determining fair wages,\u201d the union said.<\/p>\n
The association highlighted the stark gap between pay and living costs: the lowest-paid civil servant earns just US$382 per month, while the Basic Needs Basket for a family of four sits at roughly US$904, with overall household expenses exceeding US$1,075.<\/p>\n
This means many public workers are earning between 37 and 64 percent below what is actually needed to survive, fueling low morale, mass migration of skilled teachers, and severe shortages across the public service.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic servants are not asking for handouts or wages that merely keep them above poverty,\u201d ZIMTA said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey demand compensation that recognizes their professional contribution and allows them to provide for their families with dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The union\u2019s warning underscores a growing crisis of underpaid government workers, as Zimbabweans face skyrocketing inflation and shrinking purchasing power, raising questions about the state\u2019s ability\u2014or willingness\u2014to properly support those who keep public services running<\/p>\n
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