HARARE, Mar.21 (NewsDayLive) -Lecturers at the University of Zimbabwe have resolved to down tools next Monday after their management failed to address their request for a salary review over the last seven years.
The lecturers' seven-day notice to strike expires on Friday.
The university educators who fall under the Association of University Teachers (AUT) are demanding that their salaries be raised to the pre-October 2018 level of US$2 500 per month.
Currently lecturers earn an average of US$300 per month plus a pitiable local currency component that translates to less than US$200.
“On some days in October 2018, our salaries were just slashed from US$2500 per month for a junior lecturer to US$300 per month plus a pitiable local currency component, which translates to less than US$200 when converted,” read the memo.
AUT secretary- general Borncase Mwakorera confirmed that "collective job action will commence on Monday since their notice to strike expired yesterday (today) without the university authorities responding to their ‘legal, moral and modest’ demands.
“Our notice to strike expires on Friday 21 March 2025, counting seven working days from the day of serving, therefore we are being informed that the collective job action will commence on Monday morning 24 March 2025,” said Mwakorera
AUT appealed to students to bear with lecturers in their struggle for a better living salary.
- Education 5.0: Blessing or curse for UZ students?
- UZ in fees shocker
- Deliver free education, govt told
- Police break up UZ protests
Keep Reading
“This collective job action is not against you.
“It is important to note that your lecturers have practically grounded to a halt and no matter how much we try, we are just incapacitated to put in honest effort,” read the memo.
Efforts to get comment from the university authorities were fruitless as calls to vice-chancellor Paul Mapfumo’s office went unanswered.
