DUT staff to remain on strike
The workers strike at the Durban University of Technology will continue until further notice.
"The mandate that we have from the workers is that the strike must continue, until management realises that there is a need for settlement," says Milton Estrice from the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union.
Estrice has been speaking on behalf of the National Tertiary Education Union, the Tertiary Education National Union of SA and NEHAWU. The three unions have been locked in salary negotiations with DUT since early January. He's accused the varsity of addressing the issue by implementing a set of sustainability principles instead of negotiating with staff.
"There' no agreement on these six principles, but for management to force these six sustainability principles as a precondition for salary negotiations, it's suicidal on labour's part. If you read those principles, it leaves no room for salary negotiations at all," he says.
Strikes are ongoing at DUT Steve Biko campus, as educators and their unions demand a meeting with university reps, to discuss increases #KZN pic.twitter.com/7Oq3mpjlSk
— Jarryd Subroyen (@Jazz_Subs031) January 26, 2018
The unions are demanding a 10% pay increase, with DUT offering 6%.
Management says it is not in a financial position to meet the unions' demands, citing rising student debt and infrastructure costs as their reasoning.
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