Zimbabwean State Enterprises Minister Gorden Moyo said an ongoing strike by workers of the National Railways of Zimbabwe signals the urgent need for restructuring, adding that he has sent a proposal for reorganization to the Ministry of Transport.
NRZ workers are demanding payment of salaries and allowances going back to 2009 - the case of some workers amounting to as much as US$9,000.
The state enterprises minister said the government must act now to save the NRZ. "We have already sent a comprehensive proposal to the transport ministry detailing ways in which the NRZ can be restructured," Moyo said.
Meanwhile, lecturers at public teachers colleges and polytechnical institutes have also gone on strike, demanding significantly higher salaries. Sources said lecturers boycotted classes Friday and vowed to stay out until their demands are met.
The lowest paid lecturers in such institutions earn US$220 a month while their counterparts at universities are paid more than US$1,000.
One college lecturer speaking to VOA on condition of anonymity said instructors are demanding at least 70 percent of what the university lecturers are being paid.
