HARARE, March 21 (INSPIRATIONS DIGITAL Live) — Lecturers at the University of Zimbabwe have decided to go on strike the following Monday as their administration has not addressed their plea for a salary revision in the past seven years.
The notification period for lecturers planning to strike lasts seven days and concludes on Friday.
University educators affiliated with the Association of University Teachers (AUT) are insisting that their wages should revert to the October 2018 level of $2,500 per month.
At present, lecturers receive an average of US$300 monthly along with a modest local currency supplement equivalent to under US$200.
"On certain days in October 2018, our salaries were drastically reduced from $2500 monthly for a junior lecturer to $300 per month along with an insignificant local currency portion, amounting to less than $200 upon conversion," stated the memorandum.
The AUT Secretary-General, Borncase Mwakorera, has verified that "a collective work stoppage will begin on Monday as their notification of intent to strike lapsed yesterday (today) without receiving any response from the university administration regarding their 'reasonable, ethical, and minimal' requests."
"Our notification for the strike ends on Friday, March 21, 2025, which includes seven business days after delivery. Consequently, we have been notified that the coordinated work stoppage will begin on Monday morning, March 24, 2025," stated Mwakorera.
The AUT encouraged students to be patient with faculty members as they advocate for improved salaries.
“This collective job action is not against you.
"It should be highlighted that our lecturers have come to a standstill, and despite our efforts, we find ourselves unable to muster genuine dedication," stated the memorandum.
Attempts to obtain comments from the university officials proved unsuccessful since phone calls to Vice-Chancellor Paul Mapfumo’s office remained unreturned.
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