By Staff Reporter
LECTURERS at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), represented by the Association of University Teachers (AUT), have notified university stakeholders, including students, parents, and guardians, of their intention to embark on indefinite industrial action, commencing on Monday, March 24, 2025.
The lecturers are protesting what they describe as meagre salaries, insufficient to cover basic necessities such as accommodation and transport to and from work.
In a communication seen by Newzimbabwe.com Friday, the UZ lecturers stated they had “run out of patience” with the unwillingness of both the university administration and the government to review their salaries – a plea they have been making since 2018.
The tutors’ grievances stem from a decision in October 2018 by government slashing their salaries from US$2,250 to a mere US$300.
This affected all lecturers at State-affiliated higher and tertiary education institutions across the country. While the government subsequently added a local currency component to their earnings, this has proved inadequate.
“It is unfortunate that we are expected to budget for accommodation, transport, food, and other basic necessities from this amount,” AUT stated.
“It is clear that our situation is untenable. In as much as we want to continue providing our services, it has now proven practically impossible to do so due to diminished capacity.”
AUT further expressed dismay at reports that the UZ management had been “spoiling itself” with luxurious top-of-the-range vehicles and generous allowance packages at a time when its employees were struggling to make ends meet.
“It has been noted with concern that, even as we struggled to do the bare minimum, the university management shamelessly awarded themselves lavish packages, including expensive cars for senior staff and hefty payouts in the order of thousands of United States dollars,” the union further stated.
Adding to the lecturers’ concerns is the university administration’s failure to provide them with the necessary resources for the implementation of the new Education 5.0 curriculum.
This, the lecturers claim, effectively requires them to purchase essential equipment, such as computers and data for communication and connectivity, from their own pockets.
“The university’s effort to migrate to Education 5.0 has been, to a large extent, at our expense as lecturers,” the statement read.
“From our salaries, we are having to pay for data to facilitate communication with students and coordination amongst ourselves in various university committees, allowing university business to move forward. We are not provided with the necessary tools.”
“This would mean the university expects the lecturers, from their very small pay, to buy the requisite electronic gadgets for use in lecture rooms and offices.”
The University of Zimbabwe lecturers’ notification of industrial action over poor pay is not an isolated incident.
Healthcare workers, including nurses, have recently embarked on protests demanding a review of their salaries.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union (ARTUZ) is also calling for a nationwide strike from March 28, 2025, citing similar concerns over inadequate pay.
This impending unrest comes amidst calls for a national shutdown on March 31, 2025, by expelled Zanu PF Central Committee member and war veteran Blessed Geza, who is demanding President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s resignation, citing a failure to address corruption, nepotism, and tribalism, among other ills.