For the first time in the University of Cape Town’s (UCT’s) history, academic staff are poised to strike if another conciliation attempt tomorrow doesn’t resolve the salary increase dispute.
With weeks to go before the academic year begins, the Academics’ Union (AU), which represents the majority of academic staff at the university, has rejected management’s 3% wage hike offer, describing it as an “insulting and derisory” increase.
On Friday, the union was expected to be issued with a strike certificate by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
However, the union only learnt by late yesterday that the CCMA had asked for another round of conciliation talks.
“We have requested a date as early as Monday,” said the union’s leader of the salary bargaining team, Kelley Moult, adding that if no agreement was reached, union members would embark on a strike.
“No agreement means strike action.”
The threat of a strike comes as the university awaits the outcome of a panel of judges, appointed last year to preside over a probe into serious allegations of abuse of power against vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng.
Council chair Babalwa Ngonyama is also being investigated alongside Phakeng over an alleged breach of governance relating to the departure of deputy vice-chancellor of learning and teaching, Associate Professor Lis Lange.
The university denied allegations that almost half of 30 senior staff left because of Phakeng, who had to end a five-month sabbatical after just one month to deal with the allegations.
The 700 member-strong union has demanded an 8.1% salary increase.
“The time has come for academic staff to make it clear in no uncertain terms that they reject the employer’s 3% offer,” said AU president Professor Andrew Lilley.
Moult also said 87% of the union's members supported the decision to go on a three-day strike with potential further strikes.
Working to rule on the days when no strike action was planned was also not ruled out.
Should a strike take place it would, among other things, affect the teaching of students in the Health Sciences Faculty that had already commenced with the academic year and delay the finalisation of supplementary examinations and the release of the results.
“It’s the disdain shown by the management that led to the strike decision,” Moult said.
“In the past we accepted a zero percent increase but the current offer will see members get poorer as they work for less.”
Moult added that the university’s offer was way below the 2022 Consumer Price Inflation rate of 6.9%.
“We find it hard to accept that UCT, as one of the premier universities in South Africa, is unable to match at least the 6.9% salary increase offered by its competitor institutions.
“The insult of the 3% pay offer is further compounded by the university having budgeted for an R183 million increase in student financial aid, a 106% increase from 2022.”
She added that the management offer was against the university’s remuneration policy and would impact the institution’s ability to attract and retain staff.
Further, it would undermine transformation and UCT’s flagship status of being an employer of choice, said Moult.
The Black Academic Caucus (BAC), a collective of black academics at UCT, said that staff salaries had not been increased in line with the CPI in the past few years and this had had a negative financial impact on them.
“Everyone is feeling the pinch of the rising costs,” said BAC secretary-general Dr Sabelo Hadebe.
Hadebe said some of the BAC members were also members of the AU and although he would not speak on their behalf, he expected them to join the strike action if it took place.
According to the AU it would cost the institution approximately R90 million to match the pay increases offered by other universities.
Yesterday the university would not comment on “matters relating to bargaining processes” as it regarded these as between the parties.
But spokesperson Elijah Moholola said management would continue to “work tirelessly” to address the issue and would provide updates when appropriate.
Weekend Argus