ZCTU Slams UZ for Suspending Lecturers
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has blasted the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) for suspending five lecturers who led a strike vote, describing the move as a dangerous attack on trade unionism and a blow to fair labour dialogue.
The five suspended leaders of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) Phillemon Munyaradzi Chamburuka (president), Borncase Mwakorera (secretary-general), Obvious Vengeyi (treasurer), Justin Tandire (committee member), and Munyaradzi Gwisai (legal adviser) were booted from campus without pay or benefits after holding a meeting in the UZ Great Hall.
Their offence, voting on whether to go on strike over salaries they say have plummeted far below the pre-October 2018 benchmark of US$2,500 a month.
University management labeled the move “insubordination,” accusing the lecturers of defying an order to vacate the hall a venue they say had already been booked for a Chinese language lecture.
But the ZCTU says the suspensions are not just punitive but an outright violation of labour rights.
“The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) without reservations condemns the actions of authorities at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) of suspending five union members for alleged ‘failure or refusal to obey a lawful order from an immediate superior’ to vacate a teaching venue, thereby disrupting a scheduled lecture.
“They were suspended without pay and benefits,” said ZCTU acting secretary-general Kudakwashe Munengiwa in a strongly worded statement.
Munengiwa added that the charges were trumped up, accusing UZ management of taking an anti-worker stance under Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo’s watch.
Newzimbabwe reports that the institution’s staff have reportedly complained of being subjected to what they describe as a “military-style” command structure since Mapfumo’s appointment in 2019.
“This type of attitude by management cannot be tolerated by workers, and the ZCTU fully backs AUT in its quest for better salaries for its members,” Munengiwa said.
“The ZCTU would like to urge the UZ management to speedily reinstate all the workers, as any delays are tantamount to disregarding the principles of labour relations and a violation of human and trade union rights.
“We view UZ management’s stance of suspending union leaders as undermining social dialogue processes and also as unnecessary.”
The clash between university staff and management adds to growing tensions within Zimbabwe’s public sector over wages, with educators, health workers, and civil servants increasingly voicing dissatisfaction over eroded incomes.
