×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Students, varsity workers storm Chinamasa office over outstanding salaries

News
THE Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (Zinasu) has implored government to pay 9 000 staffers from the country’s 10 State universities their outstanding salaries and 2015 bonuses to allow the smooth running of the institutions.

THE Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (Zinasu) has implored government to pay 9 000 staffers from the country’s 10 State universities their outstanding salaries and 2015 bonuses to allow the smooth running of the institutions.

by Everson Mushava

Zinasu’s call comes after an 18-member group comprising labour representatives from all State universities besieged Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa’s offices at New Government Complex last week demanding payment of their 2015 bonuses and outstanding salaries.

The cash-strapped government has already issued a statement saying bonuses for university staffers would be paid in due course.

Zinasu spokesperson Zivai Mhetu said non-payment of lecturers’ salaries would negatively affect the students.

“The university workers are at colleges for students,” he said.

“All their work is aimed at making sure that universities function properly so that students can learn in a clean environment, are safe security-wise and do not face challenges when paying fees or registering. When the government fails to remunerate workers responsible for all those issues, students are going to suffer the most.”

Mhetu further said Zinasu, as an organisation, has always stood in support of the workers because “the plight of students and that of workers is inextricably interlinked”.

Besides the fact that failure to pay workers affects the proper functioning of colleges, Mhetu said workers were parents and students were children of workers.

“It is from this basic understanding of the student-worker relationship that Zinasu has always stood in solidarity with workers,” he said.

“Government’s failure to pay its workers means they will have no money to pay fees for their children.” The government is facing challenges in paying its 350 000 strong work force due to a gnawing economic meltdown the country is facing.

Dwindling revenue collections have forced government to continuously shift pay dates for its workers, while 2015 bonuses were staggered from sector to sector.

Government initially promised to pay university workers their bonuses on June 3 before moving the date to June 10, but still failed to honour its pledge.

The university workers are also owed half salaries for August last year and May salaries for this year.