THE UNIVERSTY OF ZAMBIA LECTURERS AND RESEARCHERS’ UNION (UNZALARU) PRESS STATEMENT ON THE PLANNED PEACEFUL PROTEST TO STATE HOUSE
THE UNIVERSTY OF ZAMBIA LECTURERS AND RESEARCHERS’ UNION (UNZALARU) PRESS STATEMENT ON THE PLANNED PEACEFUL PROTEST TO STATE HOUSE
12 December 2025
THE UNIVERSTY OF ZAMBIA LECTURERS AND RESEARCHERS’ UNION (UNZALARU) PRESS STATEMENT ON THE PLANNED PEACEFUL PROTEST TO STATE HOUSE
The University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers’ Union (UNZALARU) has scheduled a peaceful protest march to State House on Friday, 19 December 2025, from the University of Zambia (UNZA) Great East Road Campus to State House, from 09:00 to 13:00 hours. The purpose of this march is to bring to the attention of the Head of State, His Excellency the President, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, a number of long-standing unresolved issues affecting the University of Zambia and its employees, including our members. These include: persistent delays in the payment of gratuities and pensions dating back to April 2016; the ZSIC Superannuation Pension Scheme arrears dating back to 2012; delays in the disbursement of institutional grants from Government; interference by the Emoluments Commission in labour unions’ negotiations with the employer; deteriorating infrastructure; institutional governance challenges; difficulties in the smooth running of the institution; inadequate teaching facilities; insufficient research funding; and inadequate student accommodation.
Our march, involving between 150 and 200 University of Zambia employees, will be peaceful and orderly, focusing solely on the issues affecting the University of Zambia and our members as outlined above. Participants will march on the extreme left of the road, with no intention of disrupting traffic or inconveniencing road users. We have already notified the Police, applied for a health permit from the Lusaka City Council, ensured that we have adequate marshals to ensure order and safety, and arranged for health care professionals to attend to any medical needs that may arise. The feedback from the Zambia Police Service has strongly advised us against the march on the basis of alleged unmet conditions and the prevailing political environment. However, the Union remains resolute in proceeding with the protest when all the required conditions have been met, most especially because our march is strictly to advocate for the welfare and rights of our members.
The Union takes dialogue very seriously and has, in recent months, engaged various stakeholders on these matters, including University of Zambia Management and Council, the Ministry of Education, the Secretary to the Treasury, the Secretary to the Cabinet, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. You may recall that in202l and 2023, the Union Executive met with the President, where these and other issues were presented. The recommended way forward from those engagements has brought only minimal relief. This year, we have again reached out to State House and the Secretary to the Treasury to request further meetings, but no engagement has taken place. If there are individuals willing to facilitate arrangements for our members to have an audience with the President, we would be open to such efforts, provided the meeting includes the broader membership and not only the Executive Committee.
This protest is not directed at any individual, including the President. Rather, it is about the prolonged inaction and the excessive time it has taken for Government intervention in these outstanding matters. It is about many assurances that have not borne much fruit. It is about lack of visible priority to the problems of the University of Zambia and its employees. A significant number of our members have passed away without receiving their terminal benefits. A large number of lives of our members have been disrupted because of the unpredictable financing to the University. And many amounts owed have been severely devalued by the passage of time and economic conditions.
As a Union, we do not wish these problems to be passed on to future generations, but instead to be resolved as soon as possible.
On behalf of UNZALARU on this day of 12 December 2025
Unzalaru
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