|
Back to Index
This article participates on the following special index pages:
Strikes and Protests 2007/8 - Teachers and Lecturers
Lecturers
at state universities go on strike
Henry Makiwa, SW Radio Africa
October 01, 2007
Visit
the index of articles on the teachers' strikes
http://www.swradioafrica.com/news011007/lecturersstrike011007.htm
Lecturers and
staff at state universities in Zimbabwe on Monday downed tools in
protest at poor salaries, scuttling the examination preparations
of students.
The lecturers
joined teachers at primary and high schools whose strike is in its
fourth week now as pressure piles on government to address the pay
plight of civil servants.
The lectures
are demanding a 2100 percent salary increment that will put them
above the country poverty datum line pegged at Z$16 million. Currently
some lectures and university staff are earning less than Z$1 million.
According to
the state-controlled The Chronicle newspaper, the strike will hit
students hardest, particularly those preparing for their final examinations.
The President
of the Zimbabwe State Universities Union of Academics, who is also
the chairman of the National Universities Science and Technology
Educators Association, Mr Benard Njekeya, confirmed to the paper
that lecturers and other university staff were not reporting for
duty.
Njekeya said:
"We are however not on strike per se, but we are finding ourselves
in a situation where we cannot afford to go to work because of the
poor remuneration which we are getting."
He added: "At
the moment, the lowest paid worker gets a basic salary of $900 000
and that person has to fork out about $4 million to go to work,
so in reality they are subsiding the universities to come to work.
What we want translates to a 2 100 percent increment but we are
not looking so much at percentage but at figures."
It is understood
that representatives of state universities held meetings with officials
from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and Ministry
of Finance in Harare last week.
Following disagreements,
the lectures decided to go on strike until their demands are met.
Journalist,
Stanley Kwenda said some state university workers were earning "less
that three-meals worth of pay."
Kwenda said: "The strike was well planned to come immediately
after pay last week, and a few weeks before the final examinations
so that students and parents alike will feel the pinch and draw
government into action."
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
