A LABOUR dispute looms at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), as lecturers, who resumed their duties recently following a strike, accuse management of employing “dirty” tactics to punish them.
After a four-month strike, some UZ lecturers returned to work at the start of this semester, but the atmosphere remains fraught with uncertainty and dissatisfaction.
NewsDay heard that the university educators are yet to receive their salaries despite reporting for duty, raising concern over potential repercussions for those who participated in the strike. The lecturers expressed frustration.
“There appears to be silent moves to deal with those who were on strike,” one of them, who preferred anonymity, said.
“It is possible they are delaying putting people back on payroll so that they get frustrated and leave.”
It was established that there is growing fear among educators, especially following the suspension and firing of the leadership of the Association of University Teachers (AUT), leaving lecturers without a unified voice.
They have appealed their suspension at the Labour Court.
The UZ administration is in the process of hiring new faculty members, a move that has further unsettled existing lecturers.
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“We are seeing papers coming to department boards across the campus for new appointments,” reported one dean involved in the recruitment process.
This initiative has left many educators anxious about job security as they fear losing their positions amid ongoing negotiations for better pay and working conditions.
Another lecturer, who also preferred to remain anonymous, said they went back to work to safeguard their jobs.
“We went back with a view to wait for other unions to do their AUT votes,” he said.
“All State unions received a certificate of no agreement.
“Those are due to be done by September, then we can resume as a united front.”
UZ Vice-Chancellor Paul Mapfumo is on record labelling the striking lecturers “retrogressive”, adding to the tensions between faculty and administration.
Mapfumo was not reachable for comment yesterday.
The discontent among students is palpable, with Munashe Chichetu, an accounting student, expressing frustration over the situation.
“The lecturers are not doing enough, they just load us with assignments,” he said.
“They should be brave enough to stay away from lecture rooms instead of pretending. It’s us students who suffer.”
The lecturers, who earn a basic minimum of US$230 per month, are demanding a review to US$2 250 to restore their wages to pre-2018 levels.
The strike, which began on April 16, 2025, significantly disrupted academic activities, leaving students and staff grappling with the repercussions.
In the 1980s, the UZ was rated among the best in Africa.
It was heavily subsidised by the government, with minor support from donors.
Around that time, the government provided grants to university students.
