UKZN academics threaten to picket over inaction on inquiry
STRIKE action looms at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), but this time around it is not the students who want to take to the streets. Fed-up academics are planning to picket, possibly later this week.
A well-placed source yesterday confirmed the participation of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU). The National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) in Durban, however, said it was not involved.
The Mercury understands that there are two issues: The first, as per the strike certificate, has to do with “unilaterally imposed processes and procedures” – including moderation, senate norms and generic key performance areas – which “unilaterally amend the terms and conditions of employees”.
The second, staff say, is because of “delays” in carrying out a board of inquiry’s recommendations and suspending five senior executives who in 2015 – it turns out, falsely – accused vice-chancellor Dr Albert van Jaarsveld of racism and misconduct. This is according to the e-mail sent to the university’s human resources department on Monday, giving the university notice of intention to embark on industrial action.
“There is no consistency in how council is treating these five staff compared to lower-level staff, and the members are not prepared to tolerate this,” the e-mail read.
In November 2015, the Sunday Times reported that in a “strongly worded, five-page” letter leaked to the media, seven executive managers made allegations against the vice-chancellor.
Complaints
They argued that Van Jaarsveld unfairly awarded them all low-performance scores, was not versed in university policies and procedures and had solicited complaints against executives.
The letter was signed by four professors: John Mubangizi, Renuka Vithal, Cheryl Potgieter and Deo Jaganyi as well as director of corporate relations Lesiba Seshoka, thenchief financial officer Bulelani Mahlangu and then-executive director of student services, Sibusiso Chalufu.
Council chair Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba held meetings with the executives and with Van Jaarsveld and subsequently announced that an independent, three-person board of inquiry would investigate the matter.
Late last year, the council announced that the board’s findings had cleared the vice-chancellor. The Mercury subsequently reported on the apparent recommendations of a lawyer that the five senior executives still at the university be suspended. He recommended that no action be taken against two, whose contracts had since expired. Last month, the council announced that the five in question had been issued with letters of intent to suspend them but a well-placed source said that, as of yesterday, they were still “walking around campus”.
Ntsaluba yesterday said while he agreed that the proceedings were proving to be lengthy, the council’s main objective was to ensure that it followed due process. He said after the five were issued with the letters, they were given the opportunity to respond and that the council’s legal team was in the process of reviewing their responses.
He believed the matter would be concluded soon. Ntsaluba felt industrial action was unfortunate and unnecessary but, he said, he respected the space which the unions occupied and they were within their rights to protest.