Cape Town - The University of Cape Town (UCT) Academics’ Union (AU) said the university has failed to come to the negotiating table over what it referred to as an “insulting and derisory” pay offer of 3% for 2023.
UCT AU, the sole representative of UCT academic staff, said 87% of its 689 members supported a 3-day strike with the potential of further strikes.
Should the strike go ahead, it would be the first time in the university’s nearly 200-year history. The AU now awaits its strike certificate from the Commission for Reconciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
The matter reached the CCMA on December 15, with conciliation on January 9. The 3% salary offer was rejected by 99% of members during a vote in December.
“We met with management a number of times between the 1st and the 15th of December to attempt to reach an agreement. Management consistently promised us a revised offer, but that has not materialised,” said AU salary bargaining team leader Kelley Moult.
“In our view, we are engaged in a process of negotiation, but the university has not negotiated in any meaningful way with us. We have repeatedly underscored our willingness to engage with a counter-offer by management, but that has not materialised. We are therefore left with no choice but to strike.”
Academic salaries are regulated by a pay policy, agreed between university management and the AU.
“That pay policy sets our salaries at the 75th percentile of a set of comparator institutions. To retain that benchmark requires an increase of 7.1%, which is what we demanded from the university on October 3, 2022. Nearly two months passed before we received the university’s offer of 3% on November 30,” Moult said.
In a correspondence to staff and students, UCT vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said all university activities will continue and that UCT would do everything possible to avert any strike.
“There is currently an ongoing process to address the issues that have arisen, and we are confident that it will yield an acceptable outcome soon.
“It is important to emphasise that the executive is approaching every step of the process in compliance with the university’s governance procedures,” Phakeng said.
“It must further be noted that it is not unusual for UCT to have not reached an agreement with any of the unions at this point of the year. Such is the nature of wage negotiations – it is not always possible to reach an agreement within an ideal time frame given the demands from recognised unions and other factors that the university needs to consider.”
AU president Andrew Lilley said the strike would affect the university in the key weeks leading to the release of the 2022 supplementary exam results and the 2023 registration.
“If there is no settlement, academic activities such as teaching may be adversely affected, too.”