The National Education‚ Health and Allied Workers Union said a “dark force” was destabilising the higher education sector and blamed the same force that destablised the mining sector.
At a press conference on Braamfontein on Monday morning‚ the union would not elaborate on the identity of the dark force was but said it had caused problems at Tshwane University of Technology and attempted to disrupt exams taking place there.
Deputy President Madala Mike Shingange said the “dark force did not want to be known“. He blamed those who had caused workers in the mining sector to kill each other‚ saying they were now operating at universities.
“They will use violence and we are ready for them‚” said Shingange.
Nehawu also called for outsourced staff at universities to be fully employed by universities because it believed outsourced workers were “exploited“.
Outsourcing is the use of external companies for cleaning‚ security‚ gardening and security among others. The workers earn less than they would when employed directly by universities.
The union praised students for the “progressive” Fees Must Fall protests on behalf of the workers that led to Wits University and the University of Cape Town to commit to begin employing workers directly.
The union was at pains to point out that it had played a significant role in getting outsourced workers from University of Pretoria employed.
Nehawu general secretary Bareng Soke said: “Contrary to falsified reports in the media‚ Nehawu was an integral part of the signing of the agreement at the University of Pretoria that will see outsourced services being in-sourced.”
Nehawu said workers at outsourced companies were exploited. “They constitute the universities’ invisible workforce. The rich are getting richer and the working poor are being exploited with contracts that aren’t worth the paper they’re written on‚” said Soke.
As Universities committed to employing workers directly‚ Nehawu said an opportunity for centralised bargaining was on the cards. It hopes that it can negotiate on behalf of all workers at universities for higher wages.
The Economic Freedom Front student branch at Tshwane University of Technology held an all-night vigil on Sunday night calling for an end to outsourcing of gardening‚ cleaning and security staff. It wants the workers to be employed with a minimum wage of R10 000 a month.
'Dark force' sabotaging universities‚ says Nehawu
At a press conference on Braamfontein on Monday morning‚ the union would not elaborate on the identity of the dark force was but said it had caused problems at Tshwane University of Technology and attempted to disrupt exams taking place there.
Deputy President Madala Mike Shingange said the “dark force did not want to be known“. He blamed those who had caused workers in the mining sector to kill each other‚ saying they were now operating at universities.
“They will use violence and we are ready for them‚” said Shingange.
Nehawu also called for outsourced staff at universities to be fully employed by universities because it believed outsourced workers were “exploited“.
Outsourcing is the use of external companies for cleaning‚ security‚ gardening and security among others. The workers earn less than they would when employed directly by universities.
The union praised students for the “progressive” Fees Must Fall protests on behalf of the workers that led to Wits University and the University of Cape Town to commit to begin employing workers directly.
The union was at pains to point out that it had played a significant role in getting outsourced workers from University of Pretoria employed.
Nehawu general secretary Bareng Soke said: “Contrary to falsified reports in the media‚ Nehawu was an integral part of the signing of the agreement at the University of Pretoria that will see outsourced services being in-sourced.”
Nehawu said workers at outsourced companies were exploited. “They constitute the universities’ invisible workforce. The rich are getting richer and the working poor are being exploited with contracts that aren’t worth the paper they’re written on‚” said Soke.
As Universities committed to employing workers directly‚ Nehawu said an opportunity for centralised bargaining was on the cards. It hopes that it can negotiate on behalf of all workers at universities for higher wages.
The Economic Freedom Front student branch at Tshwane University of Technology held an all-night vigil on Sunday night calling for an end to outsourcing of gardening‚ cleaning and security staff. It wants the workers to be employed with a minimum wage of R10 000 a month.
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