Zimbabweans have to be realistic about salary increases, dpa cited Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai as saying today. Tsvangirai said his government had no capacity to pay civil servants a salary of 454 US dollars, up from the 100 US dollars they currently receive. "We encourage a culture of making demands from workers but the demands must be realistic and must be within the capacity of the government as the largest employer and the private sector which is not there. This government is broke," said Tsvangirai in a speech to workers marking May Day in Harare. Teachers are also demanding a raise. In response to Tsvangirai's comments, Raymond Manjongwe, the secretary general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, said teachers would not resume lessons on Tuesday when the second school term starts. "We can't go on suffering. Unless we get something positive from the government on Monday, we are back on the streets," he said. Last September, teachers in Zimbabwe went on strike demanding a salary increase. They only returned to work in February after Tsvangirai formed a coalition government with President Robert Mugabe.
