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UZ lecturers threaten nationwide shutdown
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The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) campus was the scene of intense protest Thursday as lecturers, under the banner of the Association of University Teachers (AUT), warned they would escalate industrial action to all 14 state universities within ten days if their wage demands continue to be ignored by authorities.
AUT is demanding that salaries be restored to pre-October 2018 levels, when a junior lecturer earned US$2,250 monthly. Today, that figure has plummeted to just US$230, a situation the union describes as unacceptable and degrading to the academic profession.
Legal advisor for AUT and senior labour law lecturer at UZ, Munyaradzi Gwisai, led a defiant protest outside the institution's gates and issued a stern ultimatum to Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Fredrick Shava, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, and Treasury Secretary George Guvamatanga.
"Dr Shava, the choice is yours. You and Professor Mthuli Ncube and Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga - the one we hear is looting public funds - you must sit down and give UZ lecturers and staff what is their due,” declared Gwisai to loud cheers.
"If you do not, this is going to become a struggle that spreads to all fourteen state universities within ten days.”
Gwisai urged a complete shutdown of university services, calling on lecturers to withdraw all forms of service delivery, including exam marking and board sittings.
"We must ensure that not a single examination paper is marked from today onwards. We must ensure that not a single examination board sits from today going onwards,” he thundered.
Professor Obvious Vengeyi, AUT spokesperson, delivered a scathing rebuke of the UZ administration, accusing it of arrogance, unresponsiveness, and reckless spending.
"We are being ignored by blue-ticking legends,” Vengeyi told NewZimbabwe.com. "They buy top-of-the-range cars for themselves while paying professors US$230. We've written over 40 letters since 2018 - they only responded to two. They are not engaging us. How can this be acceptable in a so-called academic institution?”
He called on lecturers to ignore any orders to return to class, vowing that continued administrative indifference would only deepen the standoff.
Last week, Vengeyi and several colleagues were arrested for staging a similar protest at UZ. They were released after a night in custody and fined US$15 each. However, in a win for the union, the High Court of Zimbabwe issued an interdict barring both the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and UZ authorities from interfering with the protests.
Despite the previous arrests, AUT members say they will not back down and vowed to continue protesting outside UZ indefinitely until their demands are met.
The demonstrations are expected to resume Friday, as tensions rise across Zimbabwe's tertiary education sector - once admired across the continent, now mired in salary disputes and funding crises.
AUT is demanding that salaries be restored to pre-October 2018 levels, when a junior lecturer earned US$2,250 monthly. Today, that figure has plummeted to just US$230, a situation the union describes as unacceptable and degrading to the academic profession.
Legal advisor for AUT and senior labour law lecturer at UZ, Munyaradzi Gwisai, led a defiant protest outside the institution's gates and issued a stern ultimatum to Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Fredrick Shava, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, and Treasury Secretary George Guvamatanga.
"Dr Shava, the choice is yours. You and Professor Mthuli Ncube and Permanent Secretary George Guvamatanga - the one we hear is looting public funds - you must sit down and give UZ lecturers and staff what is their due,” declared Gwisai to loud cheers.
"If you do not, this is going to become a struggle that spreads to all fourteen state universities within ten days.”
Gwisai urged a complete shutdown of university services, calling on lecturers to withdraw all forms of service delivery, including exam marking and board sittings.
"We must ensure that not a single examination paper is marked from today onwards. We must ensure that not a single examination board sits from today going onwards,” he thundered.
Professor Obvious Vengeyi, AUT spokesperson, delivered a scathing rebuke of the UZ administration, accusing it of arrogance, unresponsiveness, and reckless spending.
"We are being ignored by blue-ticking legends,” Vengeyi told NewZimbabwe.com. "They buy top-of-the-range cars for themselves while paying professors US$230. We've written over 40 letters since 2018 - they only responded to two. They are not engaging us. How can this be acceptable in a so-called academic institution?”
He called on lecturers to ignore any orders to return to class, vowing that continued administrative indifference would only deepen the standoff.
Last week, Vengeyi and several colleagues were arrested for staging a similar protest at UZ. They were released after a night in custody and fined US$15 each. However, in a win for the union, the High Court of Zimbabwe issued an interdict barring both the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and UZ authorities from interfering with the protests.
Despite the previous arrests, AUT members say they will not back down and vowed to continue protesting outside UZ indefinitely until their demands are met.
The demonstrations are expected to resume Friday, as tensions rise across Zimbabwe's tertiary education sector - once admired across the continent, now mired in salary disputes and funding crises.
Source - NewZimbabwe
