By 
Lecturers at the University of Zambia (UNZA) have warned that they cannot guarantee industrial harmony at the institution if the government fails to address concerns raised in the stalled 2025 negotiations for improved conditions of service.
The warning was issued on Tuesday during a joint media briefing in Lusaka by the University of Zambia Professional Staff Union (UNZAPROSU) and the University of Zambia and Allied Workers Union (UNZAAWU) held at Golf View Hotel.
Speaking on behalf of both unions, UNZAPROSU President, Mupuna Moonga, said tension was mounting at UNZA due to delays in finalising the 2025 collective bargaining process.
Moonga explained that UNZA’s collective agreements run from January to December each year, and by law—under Section 69(1)(a) of the Industrial and Labour Relations Act, Cap 269—negotiations for improved conditions of service should have commenced and concluded three months before the expiry date in December 2024.
“The unions submitted their demands for improved conditions to UNZA Management in June 2024, six months before expiry of the agreements,” Moonga said.
“Follow-ups made in October revealed that management had not initiated talks due to a lack of parameters from the Emoluments Commission.”
He said despite repeated follow-ups, the Emoluments Commission only issued negotiation parameters in January 2025.
However, when bargaining sessions finally began, it became apparent that management could not offer any salary increment.
“The Emoluments Commission did not mandate salary adjustments. In effect, this amounts to a wage freeze for University of Zambia employees—despite the prevailing harsh economic environment,” Moonga stated.
He said the unions appealed the Commission’s assessment of UNZA’s financial position, arguing the university should not be treated as a profit-making institution.
“UNZA provides a public good and should be fully funded by the government,” Moonga said, adding that support to the university falls far below what other SADC governments offer their public institutions.
He further cited growing unrest among staff, exacerbated by a backlog in unpaid gratuities dating back to April 2016 and unpaid superannuation pension contributions dating back to 2013.
“Our members’ patience has been overstretched by the conduct of the Emoluments Commission, which has effectively imposed a wage freeze,” he warned.
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