By Bahle Gama
After the intervention of the Labour Commissioner, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) lecturers will be resuming duties after a 9-week-long industrial action.
LUCT Campus Director Tfobile Gumede disclosed this information during a press conference held at the institution’s hall on Thursday afternoon where she stated that classes would resume on June 17, 2024.
“Following the prolonged industrial action by some members of staff of the institution, the University council is pleased to report that through the intervention of the Labour Commissioner.
The staff union and the university management are back at the negotiation table after the union suspended the strike action,” Gumede said.
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Last week, lecturers engaging in a no-work-no-pay strike at LUCT questioned the exam marks given to their students by interim lecturers.
This was posed in a letter to the institution through Ndlangamandla Attorneys where the lecturers through the National Worker’s Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI) demanded that LUCT show cause why the grievance should not be taken to court.
In March 2024, the lecturers decided to down their tools amid ongoing examinations, signalling a significant disruption to the academic process.
The move was birthed by a series of unresolved grievances with the institution’s management, prompting the employees to escalate their demands for better working conditions.
The lecturers presented a comprehensive list of 10 demands to the university management, citing various issues affecting their welfare and professional fulfilment.
Despite the submissions of the demands, the workers stated that management failed to take adequate steps to address the concerns raised, resulting in a deadlock in negotiations.
In a bid to facilitate a resolution, the Minister of Education Owen Nxumalo intervened and advocated for dialogue and compromise between the two parties.
This resulted in the demands being meticulously reviewed and narrowed down to five critical areas that require immediate attention.
On Thursday, the Director extended appreciation to all stakeholders including students, the government of His Majesty King Mswati III, staff, industry partners and sponsors for their support efforts to keep the institution operational despite the prolonged legal strike by some of its employees.
“This has yielded positive results as all projected end-of-semester targets have been achieved.
The council regrets the repercussions of the legal strike action on both the university and the staff. It is hoped that such will be avoided by all means in future and prioritise the best interest of both parties,” Gumede said.
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She further stated that student’s results were approved and released on Wednesday, May 6, 2024, and all paid-up students can access their results through the student portal.
The Director further stated that the council is committed to ensuring that staff welfare issues are handled by management in collaboration with the staff union and receive appropriate attention through the proper channels within reasonable timelines.
“We trust intervention of the Labour Commissioner in the current conflict will yield positive results as the management engages with the staff union on the tabled issues,” Gumede said.
In a brief phone interview, NAWUSHI Secretary General Stanley Simelane confirmed that the strike by its members had been suspended, but questioned why the institution did not invite them to the press conference when making the announcement.
Meanwhile, the Director also announced that registration for all returning students will commence on Monday, June 10, 2024, and applications for the 2024/25 intake are still open for private.
