Zimbabwe: Teachers Cut Working Days to Three, Set Aside Two for Side Hustles, Citing Poor Salaries

What the report says

Zimbabwe’s Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) says its members will work only three days a week and use the other two days for income-generating activities, citing unpaid salary concerns and poor working conditions. The report, published by New Zimbabwe and distributed by AllAfrica, says the union informed the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education of the decision and linked it to what it described as an unresolved salary crisis affecting public service teachers.

The article says the teachers’ action follows an earlier notice of incapacitation issued to the government on January 12, 2026. ARTUZ argued that teachers can no longer manage the cost of living on current pay and said its assessment found that a basic monthly salary of about US$1,260 would be needed to support what it described as a dignified standard of living. The union did not provide a government response in the material supplied.

The move adds to ongoing labor pressure in Zimbabwe’s education sector, where teachers have previously protested over pay and currency instability. The report also notes that teachers had recently demonstrated in Harare, demanding salaries be paid in U.S. dollars as the local currency continued to lose value. ARTUZ warned that if the dispute is not resolved before schools open, learning could be disrupted.