Salary negotiations between staff bodies and University of Cape Town management have become deadlocked after management refused to negotiate as per the recognition agreements with each Union, and instead provided the Unions with a final, non-negotiable offer in response to Union demands. Both the Employees Union and the Academics Union’s members voted to reject this final offer, and management has indicated its unwillingness to return to the negotiating table. Both the Employees Union and the Academics Union declared disputes on Friday with the University in efforts to break the deadlock.

Despite the Unions’ attempts to get the University to negotiate as set out in its recognition agreements, Prof Francis Petersen (on behalf of Management) has responded by reiterating that it considers the proposed below-inflation increase a “major stretch for the University” and underlined that management “cannot agree to any higher increase”. Petersen informed staff bodies late on Sunday night that  UCT intends to unilaterally implement its proposed offer, despite rejection by staff.

The EU and the AU are concerned that the implementation of the increase, while couched as an attempt to ease the financial pinch for staff, is in fact a strategy aimed at dividing staff and removing the urgency for reaching agreement.

Staff view management’s treatment of the wage negotiations as a slap in the face as it continues a worrying trend of low priority afforded to staff concerns, and a blatant disregard for the agreements that are in place for consultation. Management’s offer forces staff, many of whom earn low salaries and struggle to make ends meet, to take a pay cut for the second year in a row. The deadlock over negotiations also further erodes already-low staff morale, which suffered as a result of efforts to keep UCT open for business during the protests of last year.

UCT’s staff are cognisant of the fact that the higher education sector is under severe financial pressure, but do not believe that this crisis can be solved by sacrificing salaries. UCT’s staff have already worked to meet management’s saving targets and austerity measures, and have borne the brunt of frozen posts, voluntary separations, early retirement processes, and even retrenchments to help the University weather the financial crisis.

The greatest disappointment for staff bodies has been the bad faith bargaining that has characterised this round of negotiations. Management not only proposed a final offer that is well below UCT’s own negotiated policy, but is also claiming financial affordability as the justification for their offer, whilst still planning a surplus budget. The Unions have provided for a number of non-salary items in order to improve working conditions, which have been ignored up to now.

Contact for comment:  

Ulrike Rivett, Chair: Bargaining Unit (Academics Union), 082 9404349

Andrea Plos, President: Employees Union, 083 6637072

Maanda Mulaudzi, President: Academics Union, 082 813 3857

Yasmin Fazel-Ellahi, Organiser: Employees Union, 082 553 1833

Kelley Moult, Vice President: Academics Union, 082 625 6722