UZ lecturers strike: Demanding fair pay and work conditions

Lecturers at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) have stopped working because they are unhappy with how little they are being paid. They say their current salary is less than US$250 a month, which is not enough to live on. A large part of it is also paid in the local ZiG currency, which loses value quickly.

The lecturers are demanding a return to their old salaries from before October 2018, when a junior lecturer earned around US$2,500 a month. Today, they earn about ten times less. The teachers say this is unfair because they work hard, have high qualifications, and help build the future of the country by educating students.

On April 16, the lecturers started their first protest. Police came and arrested some of their union leaders, which made things worse. The lecturers then went to court, and the High Court said the police and university should not stop their peaceful protest.

The lecturers, who are part of the Association of University Teachers (AUT), have since announced an indefinite strike. This means they will not return to work until their demands are met. They are not teaching, marking exams, or attending meetings.

Speaking during the protest, one of the union’s legal advisors, Munyaradzi Gwisai, warned that if their demands are ignored, they will spread the strike to all 14 state universities in Zimbabwe.

Professor Obvious Vengeyi, another union leader, said UZ’s top officials are ignoring the lecturers’ problems. He said the management spends money on expensive cars while lecturers struggle to survive.

Students have shown support for their teachers. A student leader, Tafadzwa Katsande, said they understand what the lecturers are going through and are willing to miss classes if it helps bring change.

The lecturers say they will continue protesting until their pay is improved and their working conditions are made better. For now, the university remains quiet, with no lectures and no exams being marked.