Unisa's labour strike called off

Sunday, January 28, 2018

The strike action at the University of South Africa (Unisa) has been called following a collective agreement reached by the parties.

In terms of the agreement signed on Friday, permanent and fixed-term employees will receive a differentiated salary increase of 7.5 percent, and a special dispensation for the insourced employees.

The strike was called off with immediate effect following a protracted salary negotiations process, which commenced in August 2017.

According to a statement released by Unisa on Friday, an agreement facilitated by the CCMA in terms of Section 150 of the Labour Relations Act, as amended, was reached on the day.

“This process has been conducted taking into account the financial situation of the university and the realities experienced by the sector. The situation has been compounded by various factors affecting the fiscus, as well as uncertainty linked to policy changes within the sector. 

“The latest fee free higher education is yet to be clearer in terms of this impact later this year. Against this backdrop it is clear that the negotiations remained challenging. Consequently, Unisa continues to seek an optimal balance amongst these demanding challenges to ensure institutional agility and efficacy,” the institution said. 

Unisa’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mandla Makhanya has thanked Unisa staff for their continued commitment and patience during this period. – SAnews.gov.za