The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturers are on fresh strikes to demand better pay, a week after police disrupted their picket and arrested three union leaders.
Last week, while protesting at the university, police arrested Borncase Mwakorera, Obvious Vengeyi, and Desmond Ndedzu. All three are members of the Association of University Teachers (AUT).
University of Zimbabwe lecturers on fresh protests
A High Court judge recently ruled that AUT members have a legal right to protest, as reported by Zim Live. The lecturers have now obtained a High Court order, which prohibits police from interfering with their peaceful strike.
Through their AUT, the lecturers notified the police they would picket on 24 April and 25 April between 9 AM and 2 PM. On Thursday, the lecturers boycotted lectures, and the same could happen on Friday.
How much do they get paid?
The University of Zimbabwe lecturers, through their union, the AUT, have directly confronted both the university administration and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education.
In a strongly worded letter, the AUT declared its frustration with the government’s persistent neglect of its long-standing grievances. This letter exposed the stark reality that the dedicated lecturers at the University of Zimbabwe are currently earning salaries far below their rightful due.
“The dispute remains unresolved, and lecturers and their families are languishing in extreme poverty, with a net monthly salary of less than US$250 (R4 695) and ZiG 6 000 (R8 631)…” reads parts of the letter.
The letter describes the lecturers’ salary as: “…a sum from which the employer harshly and unfairly expects employees to subsidise it by providing personal property as tools of work, including laptops, smartphones, data, and transport to and from work.”
The lecturers are currently demanding at least $2 500 (R46 950) per month for a junior lecturer. This is the same level as what they earned before October 2018.
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