Photo: Obi-Akpere/IRIN-Flickr

Zimbabwe's unity government has announced a package of measures to get teachers and children back into classrooms.

Zimbabwe teachers are bracing for a crippling industrial action in January next year as civil servants push for a salary increment ahead of polls President Robert Mugabe wants held in March without fail.

In a circular to its membership, president of the militant Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Takavaflra Zhou, says the year 2012 is ending on a bad note for teachers and unless they seriously strategise between now and early 2013, the next five years would be worse off for teachers than this year.

The struggle that we must engage in early next year must develop the strength we may need thereafter and there should be no room for giving up by teachers.

"Our numerical strength, intellectual prowess and acumen will see us through. For the whole of 2012 government was reluctant to deal with salaries and only nominally increased transport and housing allowances," said Zhou.

On average the basic salary for a teacher has remained at less than $259 - a salary Zhou said was worse-off than President Robert Mugabe's farm workers who earn $350.