LUCT strike still on until demands met
MBABANE – The Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Academic (LUCT) staff want their demands to be met by management before they can return to work.
The staff members, who engaged in a strike for two days, said their main aim was not to disturb the university’s activities, but they wanted their working conditions to be improved, and be given every benefit due to them, in terms of allowances. The staff members tabled 10 demands to the university, which were later reduced to five. The five grievances include cost-of-living-adjustment (CoLA), salary review, non-renewal of contracts for employees, allowances and notching. According to a National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI) executive member, who asked that his identity not be revealed because he is not mandated to speak to the media, the industrial action started on Thursday last week in accordance with Section 86(7) of the Industrial Relations Act.
The executive member said the university management was alerted about their intentions to go on strike after they failed to reach an agreement during several engagements even after an intervention by the minister of Education and Training, who asked the two parties to go back to the discussion table. He said the minister proposed that they should only discuss three key issues that could be addressed so that they can go back to work.
“As per the minister’s advice, we proposed a meeting with management but that meeting did not take place. We were ready to abandon the strike because we took the minister’s advice. However, the failure of management to engage us on these issues left us with no choice but to strike. We wrote a letter requesting to meet but they didn’t respond until we served them with the industrial action letter,’’ the member said.
He went on to state that they were willing to compromise and work on achievable issues but they failed to address them.
Among the issues, the member said they initially wanted a seven per cent CoLA which they later reduced to five per cent but management allegedly offered 2.5 per cent.
He also stated that they wanted the implementation of a salary review which was last implemented in 2016, implement overtime, housing allowances, notching which was suspended in 2017, and include family members or spouses on medical aid, among other issues. The executive member mentioned that the medical aid was currently offered for the staff only, while spouses and family members were excluded.
Limkokwing Campus Director Tfobile Gumede, in a letter directed to NAWUSHI, said they would lock out all striking employees during the industrial action.
Gumede said the industrial action should take place outside the university premises.
“Furthermore, be advised that the employer will implement the nowork-no-pay rule on all employees who will be engaging in the protected industrial action and this will remain in force until both parties reach a mutual agreement and the strike is cancelled,” she said.