THE University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has withheld the salaries of striking lecturers as turmoil continues at the institution.
The lecturers have now reached 58 days of industrial action, demanding a salary increase that aligns with Zimbabwe’s soaring cost of living.
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While UZ has remained silent on the strike, it has retaliated by withholding salaries from the defiant lecturers, who are steadfast in their demand for a return to pre-2018 wages of US$2,250 per month for junior staff — up from the current US$230.
Obvious Vengeyi, spokesperson for the Association of University Teachers (AUT), condemned the salary deductions as an attempt to force an end to the strike.
“Of course, it is an act of trying to force our members to return to work for the US$230 they initially rejected. It’s a way of arm-twisting certain members of our community to resume teaching.
“Many here who have not been paid have resolved that, whether they receive the US$230 or not, they will not return. The majority of us have not been paid — yes. But we remain committed. Until junior lecturers get US$2,250, we will not go back to class,” said Vengeyi.
The university’s latest move follows its hiring of adjunct lecturers last month to fill gaps left by the striking staff.
However, the AUT has dismissed this as futile, claiming most replacements lack the qualifications to teach at a university level.
“There is no teaching happening at the university. No supervision is taking place. A few scabs have been hired to replace —sort of — the lecturers on strike,” said Vengeyi further.
The prolonged strike has disrupted examinations, with planned sittings facing further delays, potentially derailing the academic year.
Last month, six students were arrested after staging flash protests demanding the lecturers’ return, signalling the growing unrest on campus.
