The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has made a major climbdown by lifting the suspension on the Association of University Teachers leaders amid an industrial action by lecturers.
The union leaders were suspended without benefits in an April 4, 2025, letter, for alleged riotous behaviour and inciting others to engage in violent action after they raised grievances concerning their dire working conditions.
The lecturers, who began an indefinite strike last week, are pressing for a review of their salaries to US$2 500, which prevailed before October 2018.
They are earning a salary which is under US$300, plus a local currency component of about US$200.
According to the lecturers, they have tried to engage university authorities with little success over the past seven years.
They have resorted to industrial action as the last throw of the dice, since university authorities are too busy to entertain their grievances over low salaries despite an increased workload.
The workload has been increasing over the years as the university increases enrolment. The plight of the underpaid lecturers has been worsened by the exodus of colleagues for the proverbial greener pastures.
They have watched in disbelief as the authorities buck the trend, rolling in top-of-the-range vehicles and enjoying huge perks.
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What riled the lecturers even more is the contempt they were subjected to by authorities who are not keen to go to the negotiating table. The suspension of the union leaders was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
It illustrated the authorities’ disdain for the lecturers who are pushing for a review of their working conditions.
The net effect of the industrial action is that it compromises quality at a time when there are concerns that most of local universities are churning out half-baked graduates yearly who fall short of the demands of industry.
UZ authorities must be held accountable. This is not the professionalisation of the institution that vice-chancellor Paul Mapfumo preached when he was installed as Levy Nyagura’s successor in 2019.
There is temptation to link the industrial action to a third force, portraying the striking lecturers as opposition, sell-outs or Western-sponsored puppets. This is far from the truth. Theirs are bread-and-butter issues which university authorities cannot sweep under the carpet.
These are academics crying for a review of their conditions of service so that they can concentrate on their tasks of teaching and research. They want to produce graduates who are competitive on the market. They want to provide solutions to the country’s problems.
How can they carry out research and produce graduates that meet regional and international trends on empty stomachs?
UZ authorities must not belittle the lecturers by paying them measly salaries. Lecturers’ dignity must be restored.
The Professor Mapfumo-led administration must shape up or ship out.
