Strike forces university to postpone students’ exams

THE University of Fort Hare has had to postpone the remaining exams due to the ongoing strike by unionised academic and non-academic staff over pay.

The exams that were supposed to have been written this week will now be written in the next semester‚ between July 17 and 20.

Students were left with four days of exams when the more than 500 Nehawu unionists downed tools on Tuesday morning, switched off the electricity supply to the university’s three campuses in East London‚ Alice and Bhisho and locked out staff from their workstations.

The workers barred thousands of students‚ who were supposed to have written their final papers this week‚ from entering the campuses.

The striking workers demanded a 12% wage increase‚ while the university said it could offer only 6%.

The staff also demanded a R500 increase in the monthly housing allowance and across-the-board salary notch progression of 5%.

The university said it could afford only a R100 increase to the housing allowance and no increase in notch progression.

Yesterday‚ the university’s Alice campus was totally shut down, with no one permitted to enter. – DispatchLIVE