UCT academic staff prepare to go on strike

20 January 2023

Academic staff at the University of Cape Town are preparing to go on strike, for the first time in the university's history. The Academics' Union (AU), representing a majority of academic staff at the university, has polled its members on their willingness to take this step, and industrial action is supported by 87% of AU members. We are anticipating the issuance of a Strike Certificate from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) this afternoon (20 January).

Academic staff are committed to go on strike over what they feel is an insulting and derisory pay increase of 3% offered for the 2023 year. Consumer Price Inflation in 2022, according to data released from Statistics South Africa this week, was 6.9%. The universities that UCT has historically used as comparators in setting pay increases have been able to offer their employees at least a 6% increase.

"We find it hard to accept that UCT, as one of the premier universities in South Africa, is unable to match the pay increases offered by other higher education institutions," said Kelley Moult, leader of the AU salary bargaining team. The insult of the 3% pay offer is further compounded by the university having budgeted for an R183 million increase in student financial aid (a 106% increase from 2022)."

Matching the pay increases offered by other universities would cost an additional approximately R90m, she added. "This is not greed on the part of academic staff at UCT. We have emerged from a harrowing and stressful time of moving to online teaching and learning during COVID, and this offer would see our members 4% worse off in real terms."

In the vote taken by members of the AU this week, 87% expressed support for a three-day strike, with potential further strikes, as soon as the strike certificate is issued by the CCMA. Working-to-rule on days when there is no strike action planned is also likely. This vote follows the union's near-unanimous rejection of the 3% offer in a vote held in December last year.

"The university bargaining team has consistently failed to return with a revised mandate since 1 December last year despite being given ample opportunity to do so. The time has come for academic staff to make it clear in no uncertain terms that they reject the offer made by the university management," said Prof Andrew Lilley, the President of the AU. "This strike will affect the university in the key weeks leading to the release of the 2022 supplementary examination results, and registration for the 2023 academic year. If there is no settlement, academic activities such as teaching may be adversely affected, too,' Prof Lilley said.

Issued by Kelley Moult, UCT Academics Union, 20 January 2023