CAMPUS STRIFE
UCT averts one strike, but threat of a second still alive after pay talks stall
The UCT Academics’ Union has withdrawn its planned strike after coming to an agreement with the university about a proposed salary increase. The UCT Employees Union, however, is still threatening to strike as negotiations deadlocked.
After threatening to go on strike for the first time in its history, the Academics’ Union (AU) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) will not be following through after coming to an agreement with the university.
The AU initially proposed a strike in a statement on Friday, 20 January, which expressed the union’s disdain for a 3% salary increase proposed by the university, which did not align with increasing inflation (6.9% according to the 2022 Consumer Price Inflation rate). The union also stated that other tertiary institutions had offered increases of at least 6% to keep up with the rising cost of living.
“We find it hard to accept that UCT, as one of the premier universities in South Africa, is unable to match the pay increases offered by other higher learning institutions,” said Kelley Moult, leader of the union’s salary bargaining team.
On Tuesday, the union was issued a certificate of non-resolution from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) which granted permission for the AU to proceed with strike action.
However, the AU was offered a verbal revised salary offer from UCT management. As of Friday, 27 January, a written offer was made to the union with a proposed 6% salary increase – double its original proposal, said Moult.
This is in line with the AU’s demands and the union has voted to accept this revised offer, ceasing their threat to strike.
Moult told Daily Maverick that once non-salary aspects such as workload and conditions of service are finalised, the agreement will be ready to be officiated on Friday or Saturday at the latest.
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When asked about the revised offer of 6%, UCT maintained its discretion on the matter.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said: “To this end, UCT has approached the ongoing engagements with the AU on the bargaining front in a collegial and respectful manner, and we wish to maintain that going forward.”
Deadlock
By contrast with the AU’s amicable agreement with management, the UCT Employees Union’s (UCTEU) pay talks reached a deadlock on Thursday, 26 January.
The UCTEU is the largest representative body at the university with 1,200 members comprising non-academic staff, from managers to technical workers. Its members are diverse and represent pay classes 2 to 13, which indicate different salary brackets that increase as the class number does.
The university wishes to establish a single bargaining unit for all Professional, Administrative Support and Service (PASS) staff, instead of the multiple arrangements currently in place.
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“UCT has notified all the relevant unions, including the UCT Employee Union, that it wishes to establish a single bargaining unit with a single bargaining forum for Professional, Administrative Support and Service staff in pay classes 2 to 12,” Moholola said.
“The UCT executive has had extensive engagements on this with the unions concerned, including UCTEU, during the course of the second half of 2022.”
Union representative Samuel Chetty told Daily Maverick that the UCTEU sees this move as a failure to uphold its recognition agreement which grants the union sole threshold of membership to bargain for pay classes 7 to 12. No union has a clear majority to acquire bargaining rights for all pay classes, thus other labour unions represent staff from pay classes 2 to 6 in negotiations and act jointly with the UCTEU as a coalition.
The university insists that its move to create a single bargaining unit will not harm the union in any way.
“The university makes it clear that this move does not in any way seek to bring to an end its long-standing relationship with UCTEU. On the contrary, it continues to recognise the union on substantially similar terms regarding organisational and similar rights as in the past,” Moholola said.
“The university continues to value its long-standing relationship with the union and hopes to keep working with the UCTEU and other PASS unions under the new recognition agreement.”
Failure to come to an agreement has led the UCTEU to threaten strike action. It is expected to receive a certificate from the CCMA soon and plans to hold a mass meeting for its members next week to update them on the matter and obtain a mandate for the strike. DM
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