VIDEO: UP staff’s years long fight ends as agreement reached

The University of Pretoria (UP) and the Academic and Professional Staff Association of South Africa (Apsa UNI-SA) have reached an agreement to bring their strike, which started earlier in February, to an immediate end.

The strike, which started on February 9, resulted from an impasse on various issues relating to the conditions of employment of insourced staff in security and food services.

This was after Apsa referred a dispute to the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration, (CCMA) on September 18, 2020.

The matter was set down for conciliation by the CCMA on November 26, 2020, and the dispute could not be resolved, leading to the CCMA issuing a certificate of non-resolution.

Apsa, however, issued a notice to embark on industrial action on February 4 and commenced with the strike action five days later.

UP spokesperson Rikus Delport said the university had finally reached a consensus with Apsa UNI-SA.

“We agreed with the union to look at the job descriptions and job grades as well as leave issues raised by members of the union in food services.

“We have also agreed to look at working hours, shift cycles and leave issues.”

Delport said there was much work still to be done to ensure long-term solutions.

The university, however, remained confident that any impasse could be resolved through constructive engagement without putting the long-term sustainability of the university at risk.

This comes as the UP workers had welcomed the appointment of a mediator in a staff strike that lasted almost two weeks.

The staff, belonging to the union, had been protesting outside the university’s entrance gate on University Road.

“I was pleased that an independent mediator was availed to the workers and the university to iron out this matter,” said Apsa national organiser Sam Khuti.

Khuti said an independent mediator was necessary for the negotiations because the university “could not lead in fair decisions”.

The union members have been waiting for their demands to be met after handing over a memorandum of demands two weeks ago.

Some of the union demands included salary increases of 10% with R3 000 once-off across the board; a bonus in the form of a 13th cheque; a childcare facility for workers’ children; housing and car allowances; and payment of leave (including for study, maternity and paternity leave) backdated to 2019.

Khuti confirmed that the strike action had officially been called off and several issues were resolved.

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He said some of the issues addressed job description, analysis, review and evaluation issues.

UP committed itself to embark on a process of updating job descriptions and conducting job grading for all jobs. It will also prioritise the departments with employees that joined through the insourcing processes.

“Management undertakes to ensure that this process will be finalised within six months.”

He said the job description development and grading would be conducted by external experts with input from job holders and employee representatives.

Khuti said management confirmed that recess leave would also no longer be applicable for all Food Services staff.

“Staff who wish to go on leave during the recess period will have to apply for leave.

“Management undertakes to ensure that no one group of employees will be favoured concerning recess leave.”

He added that all staff would have official vacation leave as per the university’s leave policy.

“Staff will be allowed to accumulate up to five hours overtime per week and that will be converted into time off instead of overtime worked for leave and the extra accumulated hours will be paid out at the end of the year.”

He said overtime would be by mutual agreement in line with the provisions of the BCEA (Basic Conditions of Employment Act).

Khuti said the current three days, three nights and three days off (“the 3-3-3”) shift system within the security services would be revoked.

Security services management, together with stakeholders, had formed a committee that would explore the 2-2-4 shift system.

“The meetings will start in the week of February 21. The exploration process should be completed within three months.”

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