College Lecturers Threaten Strike Over "Chronic Incapacitation"
The College Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe (COLAZ) has notified its employer, the Tertiary Education Service Council (TESC), that its members are unable to report for work due to “chronic incapacitation”.
The lecturers said their monthly pay is now equivalent to only US$40 and demanded that their employer address their concerns as a matter of urgency.
College lecturers were moved from the Public Service Commission (PSC) and now fall under the authority of TESC.
In a letter addressed to TESC and dated 18 October 2023, COLAZ President, David Dzatsunga said lecturers’ earnings have fallen below the poverty datum line. Reads part of the letter:
The College Lecturers Association of Zimbabwe (COLAZ), representing college lecturers in TESC-run institutions hereby notify the employer of our incapacitation and plead with TESC to quickly move to capacitate us.
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In our last correspondence to you, we attached a representative sample of pay advice slips which clearly demonstrate the extent to which our salaries have become untenable and are way below the the poverty line.
We are loathe to inform you that in the month of October, our salaries have been further eroded to below ZWL70 000 which is equivalent to just about USD40.
As our employer, we expect that TESC will appreciate that our incapacitation is now chronic and that you will pull every stop to quickly correct this grim reality.
Please note that this step (notice of incapacitation) has not been easy for us to take. Ordinarily, we prefer the path of dialogue as was the case with our Minister and Ministry who always had an open door for us.
We continue to hope that TESC will accord us the same respect by responding to our correspondences as well as updating us on all matters to do with our terms and conditions, through our union.
The union gave TESC two weeks to respond and if its requests are not met, it has threatened to embark on industrial action.
The letter was copied to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology and to the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development including all college principals.
More: Pindula News
