Wits staffers join student fees protest amid stalled wage talks
Staff at Wits University on Friday joined students, who are protesting financial exclusion, saying the institution has failed to pay them their salary increments for 2023.
The workers, who are affiliated with the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), demonstrated in solidarity with students to highlight their own labour-related grievances.
They are demanding a 10% salary increase, among others, while they say the employer has only offered 6%.
Nehawu branch secretary, Thabo Modise says salary negotiations have deadlocked since November last year.
“We have issues with the university where we have deadlocked on the salary negotiations for 2023. As things stand, we have not received salary increases because of long negotiations that started last year November. We deadlocked and referred the matter to the CCMA. So, today we are just gathering with our members to show our dissatisfaction with that.”
Modise also says while they understand and support the students’ cause protests also pose a risk to staff.
“The safety of our bus drivers is also compromised; we have comrades who are cleaning buildings and when there is filth all over then our members are affected. We have comrades who couldn’t access their offices.”
He says the university can avert further violence by meeting the students halfway.
“The least the university could do is to be considerate. Financial exclusion cannot be something we are talking about in 2023, as well as academic exclusion. There’s a lot of factors that contribute to that, I don't say there is a student that comes here to deliberately fail,” he added.
