Rhodes strike on hold
Striking staff will today return to work while negotiations with Rhodes University management continue, according to campus union representatives.
“Today we engaged with the university management and tomorrow we are going back to work as normal while we continue to engage with them,” Nehawu shop steward Zakade Vena told Grocott’s Mail last night.
National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) Rhodes shop steward Ryno van Rooyen said negotiations had continued until late on Wednesday.
The Rhodes University branch of the union which constitutes a joint bargaining collective with Nehawu’s Rhodes branch, confirmed that they had earlier this week accepted the university’s revised offer and their members had already returned to work.
However, as equal partners in a negotiating forum comprising representatives from Nehawu, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and university management, they continued to participate in discussions which ended around 7pm on Wednesday night.
“We thought a resolution had been reached; however, when Nehawu took it to their members they rejected the new offer.”
Vena said while Nehawu rejected the offer, their members would go back to work tomorrow as talks continue.
Members of the union late Tuesday 9 May opted to down tools.
Industrial action saw around 200 Nehawu members march around the university campus Wednesday morning, emptying bins, before assembling in front of the main administration building around 9am.
The negotiating forum due to begin at 9.30am eventually got under way around 2.30pm.
The university was critical of what it described as illegal and unprocedural protest action, with the human resources division warning Nehawu members they would be sub- jected to disciplinary action if they failed to report for duty by midday Wednesday.
Quoted in a separate statement from the university’s Communications and Advancement Division, Vice Chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela said he was deeply concerned about the impact on operations of a two-week go-slow that preceded Wednesday’s actions.
“Rhodes is a public institution”, he said. “We do not answer to any private interests. It would make no sense if the University had money and refused to pay its workers. This is not the case of being unwilling to pay more. There is simply not enough money to cover all the essential operations of our University. ”
The University had noted the adverse impact of the industrial action, which until yesterday took the form of a go-slow on services at some dining halls, the statement said. “Every effort is being made to alleviate the impact on all affected areas.”
Nehawu rejected the university’s offer of a 6% wage increase, describing its response to their 25 April memorandum as “utter disrespect and delay tactics”.
Nehawu and NTEU members participated in a lunchtime picket on 25 April, during which their memoranda of demands were handed to university management.
In a media statement issued this week, Nehawu reiterated their demands which include a 7.5% salary increase across the board, as well as increases in various allowances.
“Nehawu Rhodes demands that Rhodes University management shows the workers’ respect in their response to the workers’ demands,” the statement said.
Nehawu said its memorandum to the management of Rhodes University had stated the demands of the workers for the transformation of the university and the specific demands for this wage season.
“The response to workers from management was utter disrespect and delay tactics. Their response to the issues of transformation was vague and non-committal, especially in respect of time-frames. There was no response to the wage demands,” the Nehawu statement said.
“For the last two weeks, Nehawu has been engaging in a peaceful and non-disruptive go-slow, allowing management the necessary space and time to apply themselves. Unfortunately, after two weeks, they returned with nothing.”
The Rhodes University branch of NTEU which constitutes a joint bargaining collective with Nehawu’s Rhodes branch, confirmed that they had accepted the university’s revised offer.
National General Secretary Grant Abbott, asked why their response had differed from Nehawu’s said, “We placed a vote on whether to accept the revised offer to our members and they voted to accept.”
They did not participate in this week’s industrial action.
“Today’s strike is unprotected in that a 48-hour notice period is required,” Abbott told Grocott’s Mail on Wednesday. “Because there could be consequences, we felt it would not be irresponsible to advise our members to participate in today’s action.”
He emphasised, however, that NTEU were still equal partners in the negotiating forum. “There are other options on the table and if a better offer is made and accepted, it will apply to everyone anyway.”
Abbott said he had received no reports of lectures being cancelled.
Oppidan Press reported that with dining halls being closed, students living in residence had received a R70 daily food allowance.