Johannesburg – Security, cleaning and catering workers at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) campuses across Tshwane will down tools on Wednesday in protest against what they said was management’s reneging on ending outsourcing and failure to implement agreed wage hikes.
“TUT’s tendering for new security contractors, after committing to end outsourcing, and TUT’s insourcing of landscaping workers below the agreed minimum wage, has led to serious discontent among workers,” said #OutsourcingMustFall in a statement released on Wednesday morning.
The organisation said the workers had agreed to go on strike on Wednesday.
“At a mass meeting of workers on Saturday 20 May, called by #OutsourcingMustFall, workers decided to embark on the action after debating TUT’s latest correspondence.”
#OutsourcingMustFall came to prominence in November 2015 when Tshwane based on workers from the higher and further education institutions across Tshwane, including TUT, Unisa, University of Pretoria and Tshwane North and South colleges.
The workers are going on strike because they say management has issued new tenders for security services and had gone back on previous agreements including doing away with outsourcing.
“The 700+ security workers under contract with Smada and Mafoko, were expecting to be insourced at the end of June 2017. They now face uncertainty about even keeping their jobs if new contractors bring new workforces,” said #OutsourcingMustFall.
“The landscapers that were insourced last month have been employed on a wage of R3 800 rather than the agreed R5 000. A number of older landscaping workers have simply not been employed so that TUT can avoid pension liabilities, throwing vulnerable elderly workers into poverty in their twilight years."
“The catering workers employed by Capitol Caterers and the cleaners employed by Selahle have been left in a precarious position, with their employment rolling over month by month on contracts that long expired, but with no date for insourcing agreed.”
#OutsourcingMustFall said workers complain that with such precarious conditions they are unable to obtain credit or plan for their futures.
“Workers do not want to enter talks with a gun to their head – they are demanding that TUT withdraws the new security tenders. Then and only then will workers be willing to participate.”
TUT management could not be immediately reached for comment.