On July 21 a meeting was held at the Bremner Building on the University of Cape Town’s middle campus. Men and women, who now sit jobless, gathered at the foot of the stairs of the administration building to demand answers to their rather abrupt expulsion. UCT have allegedly dismissed these workers without any form of notice.
Workers were met with the news that management would not be addressing them. The workers proceeded to speak about the issue among themselves. “It is an issue of morality” said a speaker during the meeting. The general consensus was that the workers would not push for a legal argument. One speaker explained that they would not make a legal argument “because the law is not on the side of the worker”. Instead they discussed how they could be rehired by UCT management. A meeting between UCT management and the disgruntled former employees has been rescheduled for sometime next week.
This all comes after the struggle for the insourcing of workers at UCT had seemingly been resolved on July 7.When the Vice Chancellor, Max Price announced the decision to welcome over 1 000 insourced workers into the UCT community. This decision was a part of an agreement signed by NEHAWU last year. However nearly a hundred temporary staff have been dismissed under unfair conditions.
Written by: Rachel Laemmle
