DUT and Unions finally sign a settlement agreement

THE Durban University of Technology (DUT) management and the three labour unions National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), National Tertiary Education Union (Nteu) and Tertiary Education National Union of South Africa (Tenusa) have finally signed a settlement agreement, following extensive salary negotiations that culminated in the end of an eight week staff strike on campus.

The signed settlement agreement reveals that the DUT staff basic salary will increase by 7% which will be implemented in March 2018 and a R200 increase in the monthly housing allowance will also be implemented in March 2018.

In alleviating cash flow constraints encountered by employees who participated in the protected strike and whose salaries were docked as a result of the no work no pay principle being applied, DUT offers a salary advance which will come into effect on the employee’s request.

The salary advance was also part of the items agreed on. Advance sums of R3000, R6000, R9000 up to the maximum of R12 000 can be requested and are repayable over a period of eight months. The employer agreed to waiver the application of no work no pay principle, only in respect of 13 days of the strike.

ALSO READ: DUT and staff fail to reach agreement over salary talks

Meanwhile, on Friday, the University will host the inauguration and investiture of its new Chancellor, Nonkululeko Nyembezi at Fred Crookes Sport Centre, Steve Biko Campus in Durban. Nyembezi is a trailblazer and an astute entrepreneur, who is widely respected for her business acumen.

She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Ichor Coal NV, an international mining company focusing on thermal coal production in South Africa.

She is the first woman to serve as non-executive Chairman of Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited. She also serves as an independent non-executive Director of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Macsteel Service Centres SA (Pty) Limited. The Pietermaritzburg born businesswoman has served in several esteemed positions, including as a Chief Executive Officer of ArcelorMittal South Africa, the largest steel producer on the African continent and subsidiary of the ArcelorMittal Group.

She also served as the Chief Officer of Mergers & Acquisitions for the Vodacom Group and before that, Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Capital, then local subsidiary of a New York based global investment management company.

She holds a BSc Honours degree in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and a Masters degree in the same discipline from California Institute of Technology. She also has an MBA from the Open University (UK).

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