Throughout June 2025, lecturers at the University of Zimbabwe continued a prolonged strike over low wages and poor working conditions, with the action reaching 56 days by mid-month. Parliamentarians urged immediate intervention as academic activities — including lectures, dissertation reviews, and exams — remained suspended. The university reportedly withheld pay from striking staff and continued to hire temporary replacements, raising concerns about academic standards.
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The strike reflects deep structural issues in public university governance. The withholding of pay and replacement of striking faculty undermine academic labour rights and discourage collective bargaining. These practices erode trust between university authorities and academic staff and disrupt students’ access to education, compromising both teaching freedom and learning rights.
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