NO SALARY, NO TEACHING
UNZA unions pledge not to back classes until September salaries are paid as workers protest delayed pay, unpaid benefits and lack of access to medical care
By Francis Maingaila ♥️
Lusaka, Zambia24 — 6 October 2026 — Three University of Zambia (UNZA) unions have pledged not to back the resumption of classes until their members are paid their September salaries, escalating pressure on authorities to resolve the university’s worsening financial problems.
The unions have taken the position as university workers continue to complain about delayed salaries, unpaid benefits, non-remittance of funds and difficulties accessing medical services, with the workers saying the financial problems are no longer confined to individual employees but are beginning to affect the operations of unions, access to healthcare and the wider functioning of the university.
University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers Union (UNZALARU) president Prof. Andrew Phiri said workers should not be ashamed of demanding salaries and other benefits owed to them, urging members to remain firm until their concerns were addressed.
Prof. Phiri said workers at all levels depended on their salaries to meet their daily needs and should therefore stand up for what was rightfully theirs.
“There should be no shame in demanding what is yours,” Prof. Phiri said.
He said the presence of workers at the protest was important because it demonstrated that employees were prepared to defend their rights despite the difficulties surrounding the university.
“Don’t feel defeated because there are few of you. This is a good number. The idea of coming here is to send a message,” he said.
Prof. Phiri said workers had previously fought for better conditions of service through collective agreements and should not allow those gains to be eroded by continued financial problems.
He warned that failure to confront the current situation could take workers back to the difficult conditions experienced around 2020.
“In life, if you don’t fight for anything, it doesn’t come to you. You have to stand up and fight,” Prof. Phiri said.
He urged workers to continue pressing for payment of salaries, gratuities and other outstanding obligations, saying delayed payment was affecting the dignity and welfare of employees.
“If we are not getting paid today, tomorrow will come again. What shall we do tomorrow? We come tomorrow,” he said.
Prof. Phiri said workers should also demand timely payment of gratuities and supervision-related benefits, arguing that employees should not have to repeatedly fight for money they had already earned.
“Let’s fight for salary, let’s fight for gratuity, because we want everyone to be paid on time,” he said.
“There is dignity in getting your money on time.”
He said delayed salaries made it difficult for workers to meet basic needs such as food, transport and household expenses, particularly when financial obligations continued to accumulate.
Prof. Phiri further urged union members to participate in lawful collective action, saying union membership should go beyond paying monthly subscriptions.
“The responsibility of a member of the union is just to come and stand here. Just stand and say, ‘Viva, Viva.’ That’s all,” he said.
He said a stronger turnout would demonstrate unity among workers and send a clearer message to those responsible for resolving the university’s financial difficulties.
Prof. Phiri cautioned workers against normalising delayed salaries, saying the situation could become even more difficult as employees faced additional financial pressure towards the end and beginning of the year.
“If we start now, maybe the October salary will come on time,” he said.
UNZALARU Secretary General Dominic Liche said the continued non-remittance of funds had left workers struggling to access medical services while also weakening the operations of unions.
Mr Liche said some workers had been turned away from health facilities because medical bills dating back to June had not been settled.
“I am even afraid to go to the hospital because the first thing that I may be asked is why I have not paid my bills from June,” Mr Liche said.
He said the situation had resulted in some members being denied medical services at a time when they were already struggling with delayed salaries.
“The continued non-remittance of monies to institutions and unions is beating us hard and we are feeling it. We cannot access medical care, and our unions are dysfunctional,” he said.
Mr Liche warned that the financial problems could eventually affect students if they remained unresolved.
“If by the end of today there is no money, and by the end of tomorrow there is no money, our students will also feel the heat,” he said.
He urged workers not to feel ashamed of taking part in collective action to demand their rights.
“There shouldn't be shame in coming to Constitution Square,” Mr Liche said.
He also acknowledged that the relatively low turnout could partly have been caused by the short notice given to workers about the action.
Mr Pumulo said Copperbelt University had also received funds, but workers later learnt that money intended for UNZA had been channelled through the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board.
He said workers wanted clarity on the nature, source and application of the funds because questions remained about whether the money represented genuine support towards dismantling the university’s debt.
“It becomes difficult to see it as straightforward debt relief if the money is connected to money that the university itself owed,” Mr Pumulo said.
“You cannot claim to have given me money, and maybe I owe you some money.”
He said the funding challenges affecting public universities were also linked to the increasing number of students being admitted without corresponding and timely financial support.
“You can't fill the universities with students, and then you don't pay for them. How do you expect the university to operate?” Mr Pumulo asked.
He said the funding crisis was affecting workers, university operations and students and required urgent attention, including a clear explanation of how funds released to public universities were being applied.
Mr Mupona said every employee had a right to receive a salary on time regardless of their position within the university.
“Everyone in every corner of this university, as long as you are an employee and you are on the payroll, the reason you are on the payroll is because the salary is basic. You need it,” he said.
Mr Mupona questioned why some workers had stayed away from the protest despite the salary concerns affecting the university community.
He said UNZA had more than 1,000 workers but the number participating in the action was considerably lower.
“If you know that the cause that is being fought for is good for you, it is a shameful thing to shun the fight,” he said.
Mr Mupona urged workers who had participated in the protest to encourage their colleagues to join future actions, saying unity would strengthen the workers’ position.
He also challenged workers who criticised union activities on social media to participate physically in efforts to address the problems affecting employees.
Mr Mupona said UNZA’s reputation could not be protected while the welfare of its employees was neglected.
“It is our duty to protect the sanctity of the University of Zambia. You and me and anyone who is connected to this institution, particularly staff members, have a duty to protect the standing and position that the University of Zambia occupies in this Republic,” he said.
He said salaries should not be paid unpredictably or in piecemeal amounts because workers depended on regular income to meet their obligations.
Mr Mupona said the struggle over salaries was bigger than the interests of individual employees because the performance of the country’s leading public university had implications for the wider nation.
“We may seem like we are fighting for ourselves, but we are fighting for the nation,” he said.
He attributed the university’s financial difficulties, among other factors, to underfunding and alleged misappropriation of funds, and called for the problems to be confronted rather than allowed to continue.
The three unions have maintained that payment of September salaries is the immediate priority, while concerns over medical care, benefits, funding and working conditions remain unresolved.
Their decision not to back the resumption of classes until September salaries are paid has now placed the university’s academic programme under further pressure and increased calls for authorities to find an urgent solution to the financial crisis.
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