NUST Lecturers Up in Arms Over Wages
Published: 2016 May 08 13:10:09 (5161 Views)
Lecturers at the National University of Science and Technology have vehemently rejected a proposal to slash their salaries arguing that the institutes administration wants to splash the money on buying cars for themselves.
The lecturers are worried that the money is being spent on travel or mileage and telephone allowances among others for principal officers, their deputies and for executive deans at the expense of crucial areas for the learning institution.
“It is irregular for the mileage allowances of management officials to reach an exorbitant annual total of $411 840 when the annual budgeted amount for research for the whole institution is only $200 000,” reads part of a dossier prepared by the lecturers, detailing their complaints.
The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Professor Jonathan Moyo is on record saying universities should take research as one of their priorities.
“It is therefore these contractual obligations (for the seniors) where cost cutting should be heavily effected instead of focusing on part-time wages of lecturers which have been reduced over the years,” reads part of the document which was compiled following a meeting of the lecturers held three weeks ago under the banner of the Nust Educators Association.
“To add to this, lecturers have over the years forfeited the contractual rights such as sabbatical and contact leave due to the poor financial position of the university but university managers seem not ready to forfeit their contractual obligations too. At the present moment lecturers are aware of the fact that new cars to the tune of $900 000 that is being borrowed by a struggling institution are being bought for principal officers, their deputies, and for executive deans as well. This is happening amid calls for cost cutting, calls in which the already low part-time wages for lecturers are being targeted for further reduction.”
It is also alleged money is being siphoned from the institution through fraudulent means.
The lecturers are irked by the Nust managers’ “timely and reliable payment of their contractual allowances” each month when chairpersons of departments that “generate revenue for the institution” are reportedly not paid their allowances.
They also query why personal assistants of top management officials and senior assistant registrars receive transport and telephone allowances that attachment coordinators do not get yet these “have an immense task of liaising with industry.”
The lecturers said the proposed move to reduce their salaries if implemented could result in a situation where there would be no lecturers prepared to teach part-time and parallel programmes. In terms of the Nust conditions on part time wages, lecturers are paid against the income generated by their programmes. The lecturers maintain the university is plagued by a prioritisation problem.
Contacted for comment, Nust director of marketing and communication Mr Felix Moyo confirmed that there was a proposal for the reduction of allowances, adding it was still being discussed.
Mr Moyo said he was “disputing” the figure of $200 000 given by lecturers as having been set aside for research.
“The figure set aside for research is $250 000,” he said. “I am also disputing the figure of $411 000 for mileage but in any case we have discontinued the mileage allowance.”
Mr Moyo confirmed that Nust got a $900 000 loan facility for the purchase of cars for some senior staff engaged on contract and were entitled to cars as part of their conditions of service. He said they have already used about $500 000 of the facility which was started in March and he did not anticipate further expenditure on that.
He said the move will actually result in savings as those who were using their cars when they should have been given vehicles by the university were previously being paid mileage using Automobile Association rates, which was expensive. Mr Moyo declined to reveal the number of cars that have been bought and their models.
On allegations of prices of goods being inflated in the Department of Physical Planning, Works and Estates, he said he was not aware of such malpractice.
- Sunday News
The lecturers are worried that the money is being spent on travel or mileage and telephone allowances among others for principal officers, their deputies and for executive deans at the expense of crucial areas for the learning institution.
“It is irregular for the mileage allowances of management officials to reach an exorbitant annual total of $411 840 when the annual budgeted amount for research for the whole institution is only $200 000,” reads part of a dossier prepared by the lecturers, detailing their complaints.
The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Professor Jonathan Moyo is on record saying universities should take research as one of their priorities.
“It is therefore these contractual obligations (for the seniors) where cost cutting should be heavily effected instead of focusing on part-time wages of lecturers which have been reduced over the years,” reads part of the document which was compiled following a meeting of the lecturers held three weeks ago under the banner of the Nust Educators Association.
“To add to this, lecturers have over the years forfeited the contractual rights such as sabbatical and contact leave due to the poor financial position of the university but university managers seem not ready to forfeit their contractual obligations too. At the present moment lecturers are aware of the fact that new cars to the tune of $900 000 that is being borrowed by a struggling institution are being bought for principal officers, their deputies, and for executive deans as well. This is happening amid calls for cost cutting, calls in which the already low part-time wages for lecturers are being targeted for further reduction.”
It is also alleged money is being siphoned from the institution through fraudulent means.
The lecturers are irked by the Nust managers’ “timely and reliable payment of their contractual allowances” each month when chairpersons of departments that “generate revenue for the institution” are reportedly not paid their allowances.
They also query why personal assistants of top management officials and senior assistant registrars receive transport and telephone allowances that attachment coordinators do not get yet these “have an immense task of liaising with industry.”
The lecturers said the proposed move to reduce their salaries if implemented could result in a situation where there would be no lecturers prepared to teach part-time and parallel programmes. In terms of the Nust conditions on part time wages, lecturers are paid against the income generated by their programmes. The lecturers maintain the university is plagued by a prioritisation problem.
Contacted for comment, Nust director of marketing and communication Mr Felix Moyo confirmed that there was a proposal for the reduction of allowances, adding it was still being discussed.
Mr Moyo said he was “disputing” the figure of $200 000 given by lecturers as having been set aside for research.
“The figure set aside for research is $250 000,” he said. “I am also disputing the figure of $411 000 for mileage but in any case we have discontinued the mileage allowance.”
Mr Moyo confirmed that Nust got a $900 000 loan facility for the purchase of cars for some senior staff engaged on contract and were entitled to cars as part of their conditions of service. He said they have already used about $500 000 of the facility which was started in March and he did not anticipate further expenditure on that.
He said the move will actually result in savings as those who were using their cars when they should have been given vehicles by the university were previously being paid mileage using Automobile Association rates, which was expensive. Mr Moyo declined to reveal the number of cars that have been bought and their models.
On allegations of prices of goods being inflated in the Department of Physical Planning, Works and Estates, he said he was not aware of such malpractice.
- Sunday News
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