Officials at Masvingo State University in Zimbabwe have suspended two leaders of the union representing lecturers, accusing them of mobilizing teachers to strike demanding better pay and working conditions, sources said Tuesday.
The university suspended union chairman Kutsirai Gondo and secretary general Takavafira Zhou, according to academic sources.
Zhou told reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that officials aim to undermine the two-week-old strike by lecturers and non-academic staff.
Lecturers at the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo returned to work while negotiations with university officials continued.
But University of Zimbabwe lecturers continued their strike, now in its fourth month.
University Teachers Association President James Mhlaule said authorities tried to serve union leaders with suspension letters, but failed to follow proper procedures.
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