More teachers join strike

HARARE (AP):

More teachers in Zimbabwe yesterday joined a national strike in which government workers are seeking to double their salaries.

Their action on the strike's second day, and the absence of more staff from government offices, began to disrupt routine services in the southern African nation.

Main schools in Harare sent pupils home early yesterday as teachers heeded the call by labour leaders. They are demanding the lowest monthly salaries of US$250 are raised to US$538 to meet the minimum needs of an average family of five.

Zimbabwe Prime Minister's Morgan Tsvangirai's party, in charge of the labour and finance ministries in the nation's shaky coalition, said in a statement yesterday it cannot meet the demands of 235,000 government employees without increased revenue from diamond mining controlled by the President Robert Mugabe's party.

The former opposition Move-ment for Democratic Change of Tsvangirai, a former labour leader, said it wanted to pay "a living wage" to ensure government facilities and departments provided viable services.

"It is possible to raise the funds if diamond revenues are remitted to the treasury" controlled by Finance Minister Tendai Biti, it said.

In his 2011 year-end budget statement, Biti said mining groups in the controversy-mired diamond fields of eastern Zimbabwe pledged to pay US$600 million into state coffers this year. But possible profits from diamonds were far higher, he said.