Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has started replacing its striking lecturers with part-time staff, paying them as little as US$3.30 an hour.
This move comes in response to the ongoing strike by university lecturers, who are demanding higher pay and better working conditions.
A recent appointment letter seen by Pindula News shows that the newly hired part-time lecturers are being offered contracts lasting just three months.According to the letter, they will be paid US$3.30 for 60% of the hours worked, with the remaining 40% paid at just US$2.20 per hour, converted to the ZIG currency equivalent.
The letter, issued by UZ’s Human Capital Management department, also outlines a strict schedule, with lecturers expected to work 60 hours per semester per module. This includes lesson preparation, as well as setting and marking assignments and exams. Part of the letter reads:
I have pleasure in writing on behalf of the Council of the University of Zimbabwe to offer you an appointment as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics. The appointment will be for a period of three (3) months, from 20 May 2025 to 20 August 2025.
Please note that the maximum contact time for a module per semester is 60 hours, and you will be paid for the actual hours worked.
You will be paid based on the following structure: 60% of the total hours will be paid at a rate of US$3.30 per hour, and the remaining 40% at the rate of US$2.20 per hour, payable in ZiG equivalence.
Please note that this rate is inclusive of all teaching-related duties, including preparation, assignment setting and marking, as well as setting and marking of examination scripts.
Note that the remuneration for your services to the University will be subject to income tax
In response, the Association of University Teachers (AUT) at the University of Zimbabwe said the wages being offered to part-time lecturers are nothing short of a joke. They said:
Desperation meets despicability. The VC Mapfumo Admin’s contracts reveal systemic wage theft masked as employment.
These aren’t salaries – they’re financial mockery. Professional dignity trampled for pennies.
This occurs despite the fact that the nighttime hiring of lecturers is a blatant violation of Section 108, Sub-section 5, which prohibits the replacement of workers engaged in a lawful strike.
Lecturers at the University of Zimbabwe have been on strike for over a month, calling for better pay and working conditions.
They’re demanding their salaries be pegged at US$2,250, saying this would bring them in line with regional standards. At the moment, junior lecturers are earning about US$230, plus a top-up in local currency.
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