UBASSU, UBSU to down tools again
Larona Makhaiza | Tuesday April 18, 2023 06:00
The unions intend not to take part in the coming examinations should the situation between the parties persist. “Members of the community and all the University of Botswana stakeholders are duly informed that UB staff will soon be resuming the intermittent strikes and have vowed not to administer examinations for the current semester,” reads the press statement.
The two unions have been engaging with the university seeking pay increments, but their efforts have always fallen short. Last year the two unions did not partake in the examinations. However, the exams went ahead.
Earlier in the year, when the university opened for business, the unions once again downed tools seeking salary increments. All efforts by the two unions have thus far not yielded desired results. On the other hand, the UB introduced the ‘no work no pay rule’ policy so that staffers on strike will have their salaries deducted.
“The UB management decided to implement 'no work no pay rule' and have since deducted salaries of staff members in a very brutal way, subjecting employees to economic hardships to deter them from exercising their right to strike,” further reads the statement. Agitated by the UB management's move, the unions indicate that the university seems to neither care about nor appreciate its employees and students.
“Stakeholders and the student community are informed that UB management does not seem to care about the learning welfare of students as evidenced by their attitude towards the UB staff in the November 2022 and February 2023 strikes,” reads the statement.
The unions noted with concern that their move will affect students mostly rather than the UB management. “UBSU and UBASSU regret the inconvenience that will be caused to the students, but the unions have a responsibility to protect their members from unpleasant and exploitative working conditions as well as discriminatory injustices,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, with the looming strike by the unions, a provisional examination schedule has not been released. Normally the provisional examination schedule would have long been released by this time of the year, with the lectures soon coming to an end to pave way for the examinations.