THE Durban University of Technology’s students and workers have joined forces.
The students, on their #FeesMustFall campaign, stopped lectures while security guards and cleaners downed tools.
The students demand free education while the workers want labour brokers to be banned. They demand full-time jobs and an end to outsourcing of work.
The cleaners and guards want to be paid at least R10 000 a month.
One worker said: “To guard or clean in any company or institution is a permanent job, so we don’t know why these important tasks should be outsourced.”
Corporate affairs director Allan Khan said the ending of labour brokering at universities was being discussed at national level and could not be sorted out overnight.
“While progress is being made we decided to suspend lectures for the rest of the week,” he said.
SRC secretary Zama Mncube said the students were protesting because management was dragging its feet on registering those who did not have money.
She said they felt it was unfair to continue with their lectures while thousands of students were still being excluded.
- Contract workers at the University of KZN’s Westville campus downed tools and blocked entrances yesterday demanding jobs.
South African Public Service Union general secretary Moses Tso-tetsi was among the protesters.
He said the workers wanted the universities to employ them at a minimum monthly pay of R10 000, and an end to labour brokers.