THE University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers Union (UNZALARU) says its members will only resume work once all the fundamental issues raised in the meetings are addressed by management.
UNZALARU deputy president Chrispin Matenga says a mere call by the UNZA council leadership for lecturers and researchers to resume work without addressing the fundamental issues they raised is not fair.
Mr Matenga said in an interview in Lusaka on Monday that the consultative meetings involving UNZA management, the council and UNZALARU have not yielded anything good so far. “Calling on us to resume work without addressing fundamental issues raised in the meetings is not good enough,” he said.
Mr Matenga said the UNZALARU membership resolved on Friday last week to go on go-slow until their issues on conditions of service are resolved, adding that the decision of the members cannot be overturned by the union.
“After the meeting with the Minister of Education, the UNZA council and management on Friday, our members remained behind and resolved to go on a go-slow,” he said. Mr Matenga said if UNZALARU was to call for an end to the ongoing go-slow, there should be a general consensus from all members of the union.
He said there is need to go to a bargaining unit to conclude negotiations on conditions of service, adding that from the time the talks were adjourned about three months ago, no-one has talked about the matter.
The lecturers at the university are currently on strike demanding better conditions of service.
Meanwhile, workers at the Copperbelt University (CBU) have been awarded a 13 percent salary increment. Copperbelt University and Allied Workers Union (CBUAWU) president Humphrey Lungu confirmed the development in an interview in Kitwe on Monday.
“We concluded the negotiations last month. Workers in the lower salary scales have been given a 13 percent salary increase while those in high grades have been awarded a five percent salary rise,” Mr Lungu said.
He said management is working on reducing the gap in salaries and that is why it has awarded workers in lower grades the highest percentage while those in higher grades have been given the lowest percentage.
He said the union is happy that the negotiations, which started two weeks ago, have been successfully concluded without any industrial unrest. Mr Lungu said the workers had high expectations from the negotiations but that the collective bargaining process is a win and take situation.
And CBU registrar Allan Ilunga said the university council concluded negotiations for salary increments and improved conditions of service for unionised workers last Friday. Mr Ilunga said in a statement released in Kitwe on Sunday that the negotiations between the university council and representatives of unionised workers were conducted in a cordial manner.
He commended the CBU Senior Administrative and Technical Staff Union (CUSATSU), the council and CBUWU for the successful negotiations.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Viva UNZALARU. Let the promised more money in their pockets be fulfilled at UNZA. Lecturers are not fools to be tossed around like pumpkins.
PF learning it the hard way
What’s the President saying about this issue? Certainly its absurd that student have to be delayed because of the failure of government to meet its objectives. I mean PF promised to improve conditions of service to workers In higher institutions of learning.
Surely there are more Zambians who deserve “More money in their pockets” than the Uni Lecturers, etc, so that it is not realistic for these people to seek to use the students, and cause them academic deprivation.
Where are the people in the “diaspora” who wanted jobs in Zambia? You apply for jobs at these institutions, and let the ones putting stops in the works go and work somewhere else. If big economies like the UK cannot afford to meet the kind of demands we are seeing here, where do they think we who depend on begging can find the money to satisfy them?
Gundix, nobody is using students and if you really want the people in diaspora to take up their positions I bet you call them right now!!!!!!!
Go slow…..? In Zambia…..?
Uh-oh!
Who cares! Sata is God and that’s final. When you pray to God expect three answers. No, yes or wait for 90 days bearing in mind that for God 90 days is equal to 90 years.
First things first, GRZ should be serious and harmonize salaries between lecturers at CBU and UNZA.
# 4
Who would leave the diaspora to go and get a job at UNZA? UNZA lecturers are the lowest paid in the region and yet they are highly qualified! They are even the lowest paid among the 3 GRZ universities! What are you talking about?!
Monk sq, just leave the boy called Gundix. He is dreaming.
What do you expect when government is on auto pilot??
love of money not serving. these are the same people who benefited from free education in the past. why are they failing to pay back to mother zambia. just die a little, things will be fine one day. these lectures from unza think they own zambia. if you are not happy look for a job somewhere sibalesa. ndilama sizipaka. enjoyment will never make you rich.
Try living on some of their salaries mwana…
If you promise people that you will give them more money, they will ask for it….. PF and CNP learning it the hard way.
How much do these lecturers get paid?
UNZA has its own problems created by its management. How many people from UNZA have we had in government, think of lecturers like Prof Lungwangwa and many others. i wonder what these people think. They know the problems in details
unza it an institute with the most educated people but why are failing to solve the problem. always looking to government. show on dr, proffessors failing to give the solution. then what education are you boasting at. no wonder you have failed to offer workable solution to the problems the country is going through. these people full of theories which are failing to work. be proactive and not reactive
zam1, you should be an unza exclude.
Am all for idea of the workers getting improved conditions of service but the anoying thing is why did the have to wait till the begining of the semester to start their negotions..this is something they should have started earlier and this is going to result to inconveniences for the students who are waiting for schools to open.
Every successive government since UNZA opened has witnessed demands for more, and more money from the lecturers. Why can’t a permanent solution be found to curtail on the incessant demands. There’s fatigue from the people, listening to the same tune.
if nigeria has more than 30 govt universities and she has managed to give them satisfying terms and conditions, y should zambia with only 5 universities have problems in maintaining the highest institution among the 5????
U are right.Its as though each day jst passes & watever hapens is neither planned for nor expected so lyf jst continues.Change indeed!
If demanding for harmonization of salaries between CBU and UNZA is asking too much, then I don’t know why some people can blame UNZA lecturers. The thing is UNZA lecturers are the least paid among the three public universities. So, what’s wrong for a UNZA Lecturer to demand for the same salary which her/his counterpart from CBU gets?
Its simple; if a Senior Lecturer at CBU gets say K12M (Hypothetical value), and a UNZA Senior Lecturer is getting K8M, UNZARALU is demanding that a UNZA Senior Lecturer should also get K12M
More money in the pocket!!!! That is all they want after all that was what was promised!! Can we forget about new universities and sort out the UNZA issue first? Or does the govt want to be dealing with striking lecturers all over the country? Can some research be done before decisions are taken and announced!
CBU came out of UNZA and Mulungushi University came out of PCC (President’s Citizenship College). Why should UNZA academics be paid less than their counterparts in the two mafikizolo universities? Could it be that the UNZA VC is always fast asleep in his/her office?
PF thot it wud b easy, way was sata telling Rupiah wen he wud go out of the country and deal with official matters??? he said he wud take tours instead of dealing with national problems.. wher is the president now? running away from this matter. we wil demonstrate if the lecturers dnt resume work, and i will b in the fore front… those pipo work very hard just for the university, now why shudnt they demand wat they nid. is it coz copperbelt recorded a large number of PF voters why they gave the CBU lecturers. and the person that said Sata is God, u are a lost sheep..
# 19. I agree with you. Its simple logic.
Give ceaser what belongs to Ceaser.
That is why Lecturers get frustrated and begin tuntemba instead of concentrate to prepare quality materials for students because of Low salaries just to fill up the gap. God Bless the Lecturers tools down until the demands are met in full. Though I have kids at UNZA but I feel its not fair for the lecturers.
how much do the UNZA lecturer get, on the average?