Universities still shut as wage dispute drags on

TWO Eastern Cape universities remain shut and paralysed as a wage strike drags on.

Thousands of academic and non-academic staff at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) and the University of Fort Hare (UFH) are striking for better pay and benefits.

Mid-year exams at both universities have been disrupted by the strikes.

UFH has missed five days of exams and had to postpone the remaining exams to next semester, while WSU was yet to announce plans for its exams, which were shut down by the protesters before they even started.

WSU staff are demanding a salary increase of 8%, while the university maintains it can only afford 6.3%.

WSU was shut down three weeks ago and UFH was partially shut last week. Nehawu said the university was totally shut down yesterday.

At UFH, Nehawu branch secretary Mzi Lingela said the unions had since intensified their strike after Monday’s talks mediated by the CCMA had failed.

The union refused a new offer of 7%, after UFH went up one percentage point from 6%.

The union’s initial demand was 12% but it has come down a few percentage points over the employment grades.

The union had initially demanded a R500 increase on the monthly housing allowance and an acrossthe-board notch progression of 5%, but the employer said it could only afford a R100 increase in the housing allowance and no increase in notch progression.

Lingela said although they had rejected UFH’s new offer, they had shown flexibility and lowered their demands to:

● 10% for pay grades 9 to 17 (admin workers, secretaries, up to junior lecturers), which is two percent less than the original 12%;

● 8% for grade 5 to 8 staff (deputy directors, managers and senior lecturers), which is four percent less than originally demanded;

● A R150 increase in housing allowances, which is down from R500; and

● A 2% increase in notch progression, down from 5%.

“Senate was supposed to sit at Alice campus today, but they could not because we have shut down the university,” said Lingela, adding that they planned to approach the ANC for support.

WSU spokeswoman Yonela Tukwayo said no new offer had been made and the wage stand-off between the 2 000 staff and management continued.

Tukwayo said the senate would meet soon to discuss the academic programme and make the necessary adjustments to the academic calendar. —