University of Cape Town (UCT) Employees Strike Continues for 5th Day
An employees’ union strike at the University of Cape Town (UCT) is set to continue for a fifth day on Wednesday.
Union chairperson Tsebo Litabe said UCT management made certain agreements in principle at a meeting on Saturday, but later changed the tune after consulting with its executive committee on Sunday.Litabe said the strike would now continue.
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“We are committed to continuing up to the notice of the 16th of February. However, if management still does not come to play today, we will send a notice of extension of the strike.”
UCT management said the university was making progress to resolve the strike.
About 150 members of the University of Cape Town Employees Union (UCTEU) marched through the university on Thursday, the first day of their strike.
UCTEU is the university’s largest union, representing professional, administrative and support service (PASS) employees. It has about 1,400 members across a wide range of salaries.
The union is calling for a further 1.5% increase for 2023, bringing the total increase for last year to 7.5%. It also wants a 7.5% increase for 2024, and immediate payment for performance awards for June 2022 to May 2023.
It wants the university to implement a unified bargaining forum. Among other demands, it wants concerns of bullying by academics to be addressed.
Union members gathered on the plaza outside Sarah Baartman Hall and then marched to Bremner Building, UCT’s administrative headquarters. There they picketed and held placards, some reading: “Underpaid & undervalued”, “Bargaining is not a tick box exercise”, and “UCT…Eish, eish, eish”.
-EWN