No graduations to take place at Unisa until members get paid
“This unfortunate and regrettable event should not have happened. On behalf of the management, senate and the entire university community, I wish to express my unconditional and profound apology to the graduates, parents, families, including our students in Africa the rest of the world who were adversely affected by the disruption.”
The University of South Africa (Unisa) will this week be unable to facilitate graduation ceremonies due to a salary dispute.
Unisa said while the impasse between management and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) had been resolved, the ongoing strike would only end once workers were paid.
“Unisa regrets to inform graduate designates and all stakeholders that the graduation ceremonies will be further postponed until March 28,” the university said in a statement.
This follows the vice-chancellor and principal of Unisa, Puleng Lenkabula recently announced that their Autumn Graduation Ceremony of Unisa had been disrupted by labour protest action.
“This unfortunate and regrettable event should not have happened. On behalf of the management, senate and the entire university community, I wish to express my unconditional and profound apology to the graduates, parents, families, including our students in Africa the rest of the world who were adversely affected by the disruption.”
Lenkabula said that in terms of the bill of rights, every South African “has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected”.
She said as Unisa was a public institution which was a creature of statute – “we have the moral and legal obligation to honour and uphold the Constitution of the Republic, as well as the rights of all our students”.
Lenkabula said the university had the obligation to ensure that academic activities, including the sanctity of graduations, took place under a conducive and stable environment.
“We cannot afford to steal such a moment of pride for our people.
“The new dates for the continuation of the Autumn Graduation Ceremonies will be communicated directly with the graduates.”
She said Unisa did not condone lawlessness or the disruption of graduation ceremonies and other equally important academic activities for whatever reason.
“I wish to assure our students and the public that the university leadership is hard at work to resolve the concerns of labour as speedily as possible.”
Meanwhile, according to Nehawu, the management of Unisa had elected to dishonour a signed agreement for the payment of salary adjustments, which were increases to members and workers.
“The agreement which was entered into on January 17, 2022 by the union and Unisa agreed that employees who are on grade P7 to P17 [professional and support employees including fixed-term] would receive salary adjustments in line with clandestine adjustments done for those employees in grade P5 and P6 during September 2021,” the union said.
It said however the management of Unisa knowing that the next bargaining circle had commenced, “intentionally attempted to divide workers” by adjusting salary increments only for employees in grades 5 to P6 (including academic staff) in September 2021 without following collective bargaining processes.
Workers began protesting in January 2022 over the decision of the employer, where parties agreed that the adjustments would be done would and extended to all employees from September 1, 2021.
“This meant that employees who are on grade P7 to P17 would receive the same salary adjustments as the other cohort of employees.”
It said the adjustments were done but what was not implemented by the employer was the back payment of the adjustment to September 2021, which resulted in workers embarking on the lunch time pickets that were disrupting graduation ceremonies.
“The employer entered into the agreement well aware of the back payment and they have never raised any challenge with the implementation.
“As Nehawu, we will not allow the management to renege or dishonour this agreement and thus undermining the rights of workers and collective bargaining.”
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