Striking UCT Staff Demand 7% Increase

UCT staff protested outside the institution’s administrative offices on Thursday.

• University of Cape Town (UCT) professional, administrative and support services (PASS) staff went on strike on Thursday, calling for a 7% salary increase, instead of the 3.5% offered by management.
• The unions on strike include the UCT Employees Union (UCTEU), Democratised Transport Logistics and Allied Workers Union (DETAWU), and National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU).
• Vice-chancellor Mosa Moshabela has agreed to meet unions within 48 hours.

University of Cape Town (UCT) staff went on strike on Thursday after bargaining about salary increases with university executives collapsed. Staff are calling on the university to increase their salaries to 7%. Management has offered 3.5%.

The workers include administrative staff, technical officers, cleaners, and catering in a range of payclasses.

The unions on strike, representing professional, administrative and support staff, include the UCT Employees Union (UCTEU), Democratised Transport Logistics and Allied Workers Union (DETAWU), and National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU).

Over 150 people marched from the Sarah Baartman Hall on upper campus to the Bremner building on lower campus, where a memorandum was handed over to vice-chancellor Mosa Moshabela.

Bargaining with the university executive started in November but reached a deadlock when UCT refused to go above 3.5%.

The matter was then referred to the CCMA (the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration), which issued a strike certificate to the unions.

The university said in a statement on 24 February that the principle of “no work, no pay” would apply.

“We’ve always been willing to negotiate,” said Fabian Botman, UCTEU spokesperson. But constructive engagement has been met with resistance. Botman said UCT never provided any “leeway” during bargaining and was “not bargaining in good faith”.

On Thursday, it was tense outside Bremner building, the university’s administrative headquarters.

Moshabela was jeered as he came out to meet striking staff, who also interjected while he addressed them.

Moshabela committed to meeting with unions within 48 hours. “We value the contribution of each and every member at UCT … We will not be able to serve our students, researchers, or stakeholders if any one of you is not in their role,” he said.

In a statement, the unions said, “Bargaining has collapsed into a talk show. Nothing gets resolved and implemented … That attitude must from now onwards change.”

They said the strike’s intention is “to show management that we do have the power to bring this institution to a standstill and collapse all operations”. The 3.5% was not enough to buffer the high living costs in the Western Cape, they said.

Botman added that, “People forget there are other workers behind the scenes that keep the university functioning. It’s not just the academics.”

Botman said during the past few years PASS staff has been “devalued and not very respected”.

UCTEU previously also went on strike in 2024, also for a salary increase and for a unified bargaining forum between PASS staff and academic staff. Among their demands on Thursday was that demands from 2024 had still not been resolved.

Since 2024, PASS staff have been calling for a unified bargaining forum between academic and PASS staff. At UCT, these bargaining forums are currently separated.

In a response to GroundUp, UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola, said, “It is at this stage not possible to determine whether the strike will have any considerable impact on university operations.”

“It is unfortunate that the bargaining process has not yielded a resolution to the dispute, and that picketing action has not been averted. The executive remains committed to reaching a mutually agreed resolution to the dispute,” said Moholola.

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