Nearly 6,000 teachers are expected to meet in Dar es Salaam today to kick start the planned countrywide strike to force the Government to pay their pending arrears and effect other demands.

Tanzania Teachers Union president Gration Mkoba revealed this yesterday as the union vowed to go on strike tomorrow despite a warning by the Government that has declared the action as illegal.

Meanwhile, teachers from the regions have also expressed intention to defy the Government ban and take part in the strike. TUT branches in Longido, Monduli and Arumeru districts yesterday issued statements in support of the strike.

TUT chairman for Arumeru Elyphasy Ole Saitabau, said the union should go ahead with the strike until all teachers' demands are met.

Mr Mukoba who addressed a press conference in Dar es Salaam said the 6,000 teachers would be meeting to strategise how to marshal colleagues throughout the country to realise their goals.

"The only solution to our problems is solidarity and this can be the only way to liberate the profession for a better future for our education system and children," he said.

He said Government officials were misleading the public by issuing what he described as incorrect statements on teachers' demands.

"The minister for Education and Vocational Training, Prof Jumanne Maghembe and his Public Service Management counterpart Hawa Ghasia, last Friday misled the public in their report on teachers' claims," he said.

Mr Mukoba said it was not true for the two Cabinet ministers to claim an agreement was reached between the union and the Government during a meeting on October 4 that the latter had already implemented all teachers' claims.

"TTU has not reached any such agreement with the Government. This claim is meant to mislead the public," he charged.

The union also maintained that the planned strike was legal. "Any action by the Government to intimidate teachers will not be acceptable according to the law."

"The public Services Act of 2002 shows clearly rights and responsibilities of public servants," he said.

According to him, the authority with vested powers to deal with teachers' discipline is the Teachers Service Department and not intimidation words by ministers.

However, Mr Mkoba urged teachers who are invigilators in the ongoing Form Four examinations to continue with their assignments but when the exams are over should join others in the strike.

"I implore all teachers not to report for duty on October 15 except for the invigilators," he said

The union wants the Government to clear all six demands which are promotion of the teachers, to clear payment arrears, to re- register teachers removed from payroll, establish the Teachers Joint Staff Council and involve the union in assessing teachers' claims.

Mr Ole Saitabau played down threats that teachers would lose their jobs if they joined the strike.

He warned employing authorities in Arumeru district to stop threatening TUT members that they risked the sack if they went on strike.

"We will deal hard with employers who harass teachers for supporting the nationwide strike," he stated.

The TUT official criticized Arusha and Meru local authorities for contravening recent directive by the Government to stop the transfer of teachers when there is no money to pay them.

He called on teachers who have been moved to new workstations recently without being paid transfer allowances to report to his office.

He also blamed the ministry of Education and Vocational Training for failure to act decisively on recently employed teachers who have not been paid salaries and allowances.

However, Mr Ole Saitabau urged his members to continue to supervise the Form Four national examinations.

Elsewhere, Mr Godwin Mushi, TUT chairman for Monduli and Longido districts, snubbed the Government's declaration that the planned strike was illegal.

He said his members would go ahead with the strike because the Government had neglected to sort out an array of demands by the teachers for many years.

He said the minister of State in the President's Office (Public Service Management), Ms Hawa Ghasia and her Education counterpart Prof Jumanne Maghembe have done little to avert the crisis.

According to Mr Mushi, over 70 per cent of teachers in the two districts, inhabited mainly by the nomadic pastoralists, have indicated they will down tools on Wednesday.

TUT Executive Council decided, during its two-day session in Morogoro on Tuesday and Wednesday the strike on Wednesday should go ahead.