Zimbabwean Teachers Earning $1 a Day Refuse to Return to Work

(Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe’s largest teachers union said its 42,000 members won’t report for work next week because they’re not being paid enough.

Schools are scheduled to reopen on Sept. 28 after a six-month shutdown because of the coronavirus.

Surging inflation and changes to the nation’s currency regime have eroded the of teachers’ salaries to between $30 and $35 a month, the Zimbabwe Teachers Association said in an emailed statement Monday. Most of them are unable to meet their living costs, it said.

“All educators will be not be able to report for duty on Sept. 28 for opening of schools as they are incapacitated,” the association said.

The body wants members to be paid $520 plus sector-specific allowances. Annual inflation in Zimbabwe is currently at 761%, the country is facing shortages of foreign currency and half the population of almost 15 million people is estimated to be in need of food aid.

READ: After Two Decades of Rot, Zimbabwe Is Coming Apart at the Seams

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