Zimbabwean teachers warned not to go on strike

The education minister says the government will take disciplinary measures against teachers who do heed the call to go on strike.

HARARE - The Zimbabwe government has warned teachers not to go on strike when the new school term begins next month.

Thousands of Zimbabwean nurses were sacked for going on strike this month, though they have been allowed to reapply for their jobs.

Education minister Paul Mavhima told the state-run Sunday Mail that the new government is working towards reviving the economy.

But he says teachers constitute the highest number of civil servants and currently the finance ministry doesn’t have the funds to improve their salaries.

The main teachers’ union says its members will go on strike on 8 May – the day schools are due to reopen after a month-long holiday.

Many of Zimbabwe’s teachers currently earn less than $400 dollars per month.

The education minister says the government will take disciplinary measures against teachers who do heed the call to go on strike.