UB unions get 8% salary hike
The University of Botswana Academic and Support Staff Union (UBASSU) and the University of Botswana Staff Union (UBSU) have settled for an eight percent salary hike amid worries and prior stalemates.
On Tuesday this week, UBASSU and UBSU together with the UB management signed on the dotted line for the salary increment of eight percent across all bands.
“All the undersigned parties have jointly agreed that management shall implement a salary adjustment for members of UBASSU and UBSU.
“Management shall implement an 8% salary adjustment to all UBASSU and UBSU,” acting Vice Chancellor David Katzke said.
The salary increment for the two unions is said to be effective from April 1, 2023. Katzke elucidated that the increment is only valid for two financial years. “This agreement constitutes a full and a final settlement of the entire dispute on salaries adjustment as filed, or as being under negotiation by the parties in respect of the financial periods 2022/2023 and 2023/2024,” Katzke added.
Though the two unions were given the salary increment they had been yearning for, for quite some time, it is less than what the two unions had asked for. The two unions had pleaded for salary increment of 15%.
When the unions went on strike last year, the UB introduced no work no pay as a strategy to inflict pain on the employees that went on strike. However, the employees that went on strike in the past week will not suffer no work no pay for the days that they went on strike.
“Management shall not effect salaries deductions in terms of the no work no pay principle in respect of the period from April 25th 2023 to April 28th 2023 as applicable”.
Professor Motsomi Marobela, who is the president of UBASSU, revealed that this is really a welcome development for the two unions as they shall be halting the strikes.
“It’s really a great day and we are happy that after lengthy deliberations we finally got the salary increment we had been advocating,” Marobela said. Marobela further revealed that he is even more elated that the UB management chose to hear their cries and not implement no work no pay principle to the employees that had been on strike for the past week.
Meanwhile, Marobela also said through the negotiations, the unions have with the UB management, had wished that UB refunded the union members their salaries. “In our negotiations we indicated that the UB management should pay back the money it took from the employees but the UB management was not forthcoming in the whole idea as they refused the idea,” he explained.
Asked about the agreement that was signed last week by the Manual Workers Union and UB management, Marobela responded by saying that the agreement the UB management had with Manual Workers Union last week remains valid.
“The agreement between the UB management and Manual Workers Union should continue and that was the agreement the UB had for the Manual Workers in the university and it does not affect us in any way as we have our own salary increment of 8%,” he added.
It is expected that after two years of salary increment, the two unions and UB management should convene once more and deliberate on the way forward.