Accelerated UJ insourcing process extends benefits to workers’ children

17 February 2016 - 22:37 By TMG Digital
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University of Johannesburg. File photo
University of Johannesburg. File photo
Image: Wikipedia commons

Within three months‚ the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has accelerated the insourcing of outsourced workers‚ with improved working conditions and benefits extended to their children‚ the university says.

It said on Wednesday that an outsourced worker and eight outsourced workers’ children would be joining more than 49‚500 students who had successfully enrolled for 2016 studies at the university.

The outsourced worker was embarking on a B Tech Transport programme and the outsourced workers’ children were pursuing both degree and diploma programmes in Public Management and Governance; Small Business Management; Accounting and Law among others‚ it said.

Outsourced workers and their children who qualified for further studies were exempted from the payment of tuition fees‚ as was the case with the Uuiversity’s current employees.

Heading the University’s Insourcing Task Team‚ Ms Mpho Letlape‚ Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Services at UJ‚ said that much work on the insourcing of the workers had been undertaken since the establishment of the inclusive Task Team in November 2015.

“The University unequivocally supports the quest to provide decent work and improved working conditions. An insourcing plan was developed and it was agreed that cleaning‚ protection and gardening services that are presently outsourced through external service providers‚ will be insourced according to the agreed insourcing plan‚” said Ms Letlape.

The university would not renew any of the outsourced service contracts. The workers currently performing these services would be transferred through an agreed process to the university. In this process no new conditions relating to education level for insourcing would be introduced‚ Ms Letlape stressed.

The insourcing of all concerned workers would be completed no later than June 30‚ 2017.

In the interim‚ until the insourcing was fully completed‚ cleaning workers were receiving an extra gratia payment of R1‚000 per month‚ effective from the end of January 2016.

“The outsourced workers are participating‚ through their worker representatives and labour union‚ in the University’s Insourcing Task Team’s Technical Working Group. All this result in an improvement of the standard of living conditions of the workers‚” said Ms Letlape.

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