Members of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), who have been on strike for a month, have vowed to continue the industrial action until their salaries are increased tenfold to US$2,500 per month.
UZ administrators have taken a tough stance, threatening to replace the striking lecturers. Reports suggest that adjunct tutors brought in to fill the gaps are being offered around US$5 per hour.
In an interview with NewZimbabwe.com, AUT spokesperson Obvious Vengeyi claimed that the university has struggled to attract applicants for the posts.
He further alleged that the few adjunct lecturers who have been hired are not even qualified to teach at secondary school level. He said:
It is true that the University of Zimbabwe has hired ‘experts’ to replace the real experts, who are on a lawful and constitutional strike, demanding a restoration of their salary to pre-October 2018 rates, whereby a junior lecturer got US$2,250 per month before it was slashed to only US$230, which they are currently getting.
The so-called experts are hired as adjunct lecturers. That means they are not replacing the real experts. It was the university administration’s hope that they would get hundreds of them so that the university would return to normal business.
Unfortunately, the experiment failed spectacularly. The whole university failed to attract more than 10 across all its 11 faculties.
All 10 are not qualified to teach at high school. They were pulled from the streets and from churches. It is a joke, to say the least.
Vengai warned the government that the situation at the University of Zimbabwe will continue to deteriorate if their grievances remain unaddressed, adding that the current semester could be at risk of being lost. He said:
The university is paying only US$5.50 per hour. It is not even enough for transport and lunch. The AUT, therefore, did not see any reason to interfere with their process.
The situation at UZ as of today is pathetic. There are no classes taking place until we receive US$2,250. That demand must be met.
If that is not met, then there is no graduation this year. Block 4 should have started on Monday, 19 May, but it failed.
Nothing is happening. Remember too, that Block 3 failed. This means if the situation remains the same for the next week, this semester is off.
More: NewZimbabwe.com
As usual the malevolent and incestuous mercenaries who “lecture” our children as a side hustle have to come up with witty quips to deflect from their own inadequacies….At least the new recruits will not be partisan and seek profit over profession…Rant over sanity