By Darlington Gatsi
DESPITE threats of termination of contracts, University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturers remain defiant, cranking up pressure on government and the institution to increase, tenfold, their salaries to US$2,500 per month.
The lecturers, who have been on industrial action for a month, are pressing ahead with picketing, vowing not to return to class until government accedes to their demand for an upward review of their paltry earnings.
UZ administrators responded heavy-handedly, threatening to replace the striking lecturers, with reports indicating that the adjunct tutors would be earning US$3 per hour.
The Association of University Teachers (AUT) spokesperson, Obvious Vengeyi, blasted UZ for failing to attract applications for the posts.
“It is true that the University of Zimbabwe has hired ‘experts’ to replace the real experts, who are on a lawful and constitutional strike, demanding a restoration of their salary to pre-October 2018 rates, whereby a junior lecturer got US$2,250 per month before it was slashed to only US$230, which they are currently getting.
“The so-called experts are hired as adjunct lecturers. That means they are not replacing the real experts. It was the university administration’s hope that they would get hundreds of them so that the university would return to normal business.
“Unfortunately, the experiment failed spectacularly. The whole university failed to attract more than 10 across all its 11 faculties. All 10 are not qualified to teach at high school. They were pulled from the streets and from churches. It is a joke, to say the least,” said Vengeyi.
Last week, UZ was further plunged into chaos after the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) staged a flash demonstration, demanding the return of lecturers.
The students criticised the UZ administration for pressing ahead with examinations when they had little lecture time. The striking lecturers have disassociated themselves from overseeing examinations.
Vengeyi told NewZimbabwe.com that the situation at UZ is dire and might deteriorate if the institution and the parent government arm —Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education — do not address their grievances.
“The university is paying only US$5.50 per hour. It is not even enough for transport and lunch. The AUT, therefore, did not see any reason to interfere with their process. The situation at UZ as of today is pathetic. There are no classes taking place until we receive US$2,250. That demand must be met.
“If that is not met, then there is no graduation this year. Block 4 should have started on Monday, 19 May, but it failed. Nothing is happening. Remember too that Block 3 failed. This means if the situation remains the same for the next week, this semester is off,” said Vengeyi.