Harare Correspondent
HARARE – Lecturers at state universities across Zimbabwe are poised to hold a decisive ballot this Friday, September 5, 2025, which could lead to a crippling nationwide strike over unresolved disputes concerning salaries and working conditions.
The potential industrial action follows a protracted deadlock between academic staff and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. Two major unions, the Zimbabwe State Universities Union of Academics (ZISUUA) and the Zimbabwe Universities and Allied Workers Union (ZUAWU), have united to call for the vote.
In a joint statement dated August 28, the unions cited the issuance of a Statement of No-Settlement on July 8, 2025, as a key factor leading to the ballot.
“In the absence of a negotiation forum where meaningful engagements on salaries and working conditions can take place, we are left with no choice but to call for this ballot,” the statement read.
The unions emphasized that the move is grounded in the country’s labour laws.
“The consultation of members and employees is a statutory requirement in terms of Section 35(a) of the Labour Act. Accordingly, a request has been made to the employer to provide appropriate and reasonable facilities for the conduct of the ballot on the employer’s premises.”
If the vote passes, lecturers from eleven institutions, including the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Midlands State University (MSU), and Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU), among others, could down tools, bringing academic activities to a halt.
The ballot will be supervised by officials from both ZISUUA and ZUAWU, in conjunction with relevant workers’ committees. The outcome is highly anticipated, as it could mark the beginning of significant disruptions to the tertiary education sector.
The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education has yet to issue an official public response to the unions’ latest move.
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