GroundUp reports that the week-long workers’ strike at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) has been suspended after management and the workers’ unions reached an agreement on Wednesday afternoon.
The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the National Health Education and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) represented the workers. On Wednesday, Nehawu’s Khaya Xaba released a statement confirming that workers in lower level positions would receive a 9.2% increase and those in mid-level positions would receive 7.8%. Professional and academic staff would receive a 7% increase. Salary increases will be backdated to 1 January 2018. Xaba also said Wits had agreed to create a task team by April this year to look into lower paid staff members moving up to the midpoint of salary scales. This would mean that the lowest earning staff member would earn about R124,000 a year as opposed to the current R94,000. Unions had demanded a minimum wage of R10,000 per month.
- Read this report by Zoë Postman in full at GroundUp
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