Zimpapers Logo

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
LECTURERS at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) have gone on strike protesting over low salaries and overcrowded classrooms among other grievances.

The strike at the Bulawayo-based university started on Monday, a week after it opened for its 2017/18 academic year.

The educators are said to have registered their grievances to the university’s administrators through a letter.

Monetary issues and an increase in enrolment of students which does not tally with remuneration are said to be the main reasons that forced lecturers to down their tools.

In an interview yesterday, Nust’s communications and marketing officer Mrs Lindiwe Nyoni confirmed that the lecturers were on industrial action.

“We acknowledge receiving a letter from Nust Educators’ Association (Nusteda) who were indicating that they were taking industrial action citing issues to do with their teaching and their students’ learning. Other issues also pointed out in the letter have to do with the salaries of the lecturers,” said Mrs Nyoni.

She said the university’s administration has started discussions with lecturers to resolve the impasse.

Mrs Nyoni could not reveal whether yesterday’s meeting was successful.

“All I can say is that they were requested to resume their duties. But as it is, it’s almost the end of the day so we don’t know whether they have resumed their duties,” she said.

Students yesterday said they have not been having lectures since Monday.

“We have been told the lecturers are on strike. We had a short lecture on Monday, which was disrupted by one of the lecturers. He came into class and told his colleague who was teaching us to stop,” said a student.

Nust’s Student Representative Council president Mr Terency Shoko said the strike was triggered by increased student enrolment.

“The strike is also motivated by the fact that the learning environment at Nust is no longer conducive. There was a high intake which was not communicated to the lecturers on how the increment will be handled in as far as the work load is concerned,” said Mr Shoko.

“We understand the management cut allowances for lecturers by 40 percent in parallel and block release programmes but reduced their (management) allowances by far much less than that.”

He said it was worrying that there seems to be problems bedevilling the institution as the strike occurred a few days after students approached the university’s leadership over failure to address issues to do with their medical aid fees.

The students have engaged lawyers to force the university to account for $1.5 million medical aid fees.

Nusteda secretary general Mr Blessing Jona acknowledged that lecturers were on strike but said the industrial action was not over salaries.

He declined to discuss the reason behind stoppage of lectures. “Lecturers are happy with their monthly salaries. We cannot comment since the issue is still an internal matter,” he said. — @nqotshili