Angry staff at the University of KwaZulu-Natal are squaring up against management over the “unsuccessful” amalgamation of the former universities of Natal (UN) and Durban-Westville (UDW).
They say that six months after the merger took effect, they are still working under two different and unequal sets of employment conditions — with former UN staff favoured over the UDW cohort.
The Combined Staff Association (Comsa) sent a memorandum to the university’s council two weeks ago, demanding immediate finalisation of conditions of service, permanent posts for employees who have been on contract for “a long time”, formalisation of “burning issues” regarding medical aid and pension funds, a standardised salary system, and equal representation on all committees by staff from the former UDW and UN. The council’s written response, which the Mail & Guardian has seen, says the union has no reason to be unhappy and that its demands have no basis.
“Our question is: Was this merger not planned for?” asks Elias Cebekhulu, vice-president of Comsa. The union represents more than one-third of the university’s 3 000-strong staff. Cebekhulu says the majority of African staff has been on continuous renewable contracts for up to four years.
The merger is also doomed, he says, because all university committees are dominated by former UN employees. “Seventy-five percent [of the representatives] are ex-UN.”
The union’s memorandum also calls for a one-tier salary system. In response, the council says that Comsa withdrew from a meeting about implementing a one-tier system and therefore negotiations cannot take place. The Comsa memorandum also demands greater participation in policy-making. But management says the merger is independently monitored by the reference group in the national Department of Education.
Council chairperson Vincent Maphai told the M&G management is negotiating with all four unions together, not separately. “We inherited two institutions, and have been running for only six months, not 100 years. We will resolve all union issues in time through negotiations.”
Additional reporting by Mmanaledi Mataboge