BOTSWANA: Strike stalls country's premier university

A week-long strike over salaries at the University of Botswana has effectively ended, with staff returning to work on 21 September and a number of strategies planned to address the situation. Unresolved issues between university staff and management have been outstanding for most of 2010.

The dispute at Botswana's first and premier university was initially sparked by failure to reach agreement on university staff salary adjustments. Both staff unions - the University of Botswana Academic and Senior Support Staff and the University of Botswana Non-academic Staff Union - have been negotiating with management for more than 11 months.

Staff claimed there had been no salary adjustments since 1999 and their concerns were taken to the Commissioner of Labour for mediation.

Meanwhile matters came to a head with the announcement of the results of an independent review of management compensation levels by Global Consult, which came out in favour of approximately doubling the salaries of senior staff in the central administration.

At issue were the salary scales to be granted to those senior staff, particularly three posts labelled 'super directors' (of human resources, information technology and financial services). University senior administrative staff were already receiving various fringe benefits, including car, housing and other allowances, and now were to be awarded extensive salary increases. This introduced a new element into the dispute: 'income disparities'.

Leading negotiations on behalf of the staff unions has been Dr Never Tshabang, a chemistry lecturer. Negotiations between the unions and management stalled over a discrepancy of about 2% between what unions were requesting and what the university was prepared to offer.

The unions then called for professors to be recognised at the same level as the 'super directors' and for salary increases to flow down through the hierarchy to all staff. One spokesperson said: "Placing professors' pay below the directors, management is belittling the role of professors".

The unions chose strike action over arbitration because by then their grievances had escalated, and decided to withdraw their labour, even if it meant no work, no pay. The Commissioner of Labour also recognised that the 'laying down of tools' was legitimate, and the unions gave the required 48-hour notice.

The vote across the two unions was 676 for and 29 against the strike, with those in favour representing two-thirds of the membership of just over 1,000 people in the two unions.

Striking began on 14 September. Three days later students supported the staff strike and protested in solidarity. The students also complained that the university administration had failed to communicate anything to them about what was happening.

In meetings on 20 September it was agreed there was a need for a proper review, a complete job evaluation, and other assessments beyond that carried out by Global Consult. Whoever does the new market surveys will be approved by both the university management and the staff unions. In addition the council and the government's policy committee on salaries must approve any future agreements.

When the strike ended and staff returned to work on 21 September, a memorandum of agreement was signed between the university and the unions, with a reference group established to oversee the implementation of the agreement.

Actions expected include comprehensive job evaluations and assessments of all positions for both academic and non-academic staff. Within three months a review of the salary structure is to be completed on a sample of jobs and by 18 months all positions.

It was also agreed international benchmarking would be carried out on comparative salary scales across other universities. It is expected the outcome will be more equitable salary packages across the board.

Management agreed to set aside the Global Consult report, to refrain from implementing its recommendations for senior staff - the salary of Vice-chancellor Bojosi Otlhogile was to go up 78% and those of the deputy vice-chancellors 69% - and to consider the findings of new reviews.

The university still has problems attracting and holding local and foreign staff, as conditions of service are perceived as being better elsewhere. The agreements as forged have got staff back to work and the university has been able to resume its work of promoting higher learning - but the problem has merely been postponed.

So far it is a lose-lose situation. In the past the mid-term break has been cancelled or the term extended when teaching time has been lost due to student protests. This time neither approach is being taken - departments have been told to find ways to make up for lost time - so nothing will really happen except a loss in contact hours and student learning.