By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA
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COPPERBELT University (CBU) management has awarded academic staff salary increments ranging from 12 to 22 per cent.
This follows the successful signing of the CBU 2014 collective agreement between management and the Copperbelt University Academic Union (CBUAU).
CBUAU general secretary Elaston Njovu, who confirmed the development in an interview in Kitwe at the weekend, described the signing of the 2014 collective agreement as a landmark achievement.
“Harmonisation was the basis for the CBU 2014 collective bargaining process and under this, we were looking at harmonisation of salaries, conditions of service and positions.
“You may wish to know that academic staffs at Copperbelt University were below University of Zambia and Mulungushi University salary scales,” he said.
Mr Njovu said the disparities in the CBU and UNZA academic staff salary scales attracted a percentage demand of 50 per cent and above.
He said in their negotiations, the unions emphasised the need for CBU management to harmonise academic staffs’ salaries in line with Government’s policy.
He said with the successful signing of 2014 collective agreement, CBU academic staff salaries were now almost the same as those for their counterparts at UNZA and Mulungushi.
“Despite being lower, we accepted the offer because the union took into consideration the huge wage bill management will have to sustain after the recent negotiations,” he said.
He thanked the Government for the continued and sustained support to CBU management in terms of operations and infrastructure development.