KalahariLog

As promised, the staff went on strike on Tuesday, Nov 14th. Union members parked their cars sideways, blocking access to/from the university. After over 100 emails urging and supporting the "industrial action", eventually one dissenting voice, let's call him Prof. X, was heard saying that maybe, just maybe, striking at the end of the semester is not be best way to approach this problem:

"We are in a very critical stage of the academic year, namely the preparation for the end of the First Semester Examination. I assume that one important role of any union movement is to be proactive in its operations. Among other things, it owes a duty to participate actively in the development agenda of the nation in which it operates. Vision 2016 focuses on education as a key instrument for the development of the nation and enjoins all to be part of a loving and caring nation. We cannot seriously be participating in this Vision if we choose industrial action that has the potential to cause maximum disruption in the education of the future leaders of the nation. If this industrial action continues, it means lectures will be disrupted, examination will not take place, there will be no grades to determine progression, and the next semester may not take off."

A few minutes later another email supporting Prof. X's position arrived. Not long after a flood of angry replies followed:

"It would have sufficed if you had made your point without going where you didn’t need to go. We may differ or agree on how the parking issue should be handled/has been handled, we may agree or disagree on what tactics and strategies that should be employed to resolve the crisis but don’t presume those who disagree with you to be any less serious about their responsibilities than yourself – I want to believe we are all serious people at this university and that we all approach the onerous task of educating this nation with seriousness it deserves."

"Prof. X is entitled to his own opinion. To me, his views raise more questions than anwers, though. Does he attend Union(s') meetings or not. If not, why? Is he a member of academic staff union or not? If not, why? Perhaps it will be wise of him to attend some of these meetings so as to contribute more meaningfully and understand the nature of "these" staff meetings (assuming he did not attend this morning). It is obvious that whenever there is a strike somethings get disrupted. That is the nature of any strike. Surely, we are literate, intelligent and grown enough to know that classes/lectures and the coming exams will be affected if we continue with the strike. We don't need a lecture on that fact. A strike disrupt things and put pressure on those in the authourity. PRESSURE .... that's the word. That is what may work for us. I consider ours a moderate strike as of now. From todays's response/memos from UB admin, something tells me that a good-measured industrial action is in the offing. (It looks like the UB admin/management is give us a rough time concerning our demands.)... I have a strange feeling that Prof. X may not be with us, yet when the fruits of our labour are out, he may be one of the people at the forefront. Mine is just a feeling/thought."

"I READ PROF X's MESSAGE WITH PROFOUND DISMAY, ANGUISH AND DISGUST, PARTICULARLY AS REGARDS ITS CONDENSCENDING AND INSULTING TONE. I HOWEVER DID NOT WANT TO DIGNIFY THIS VERULENT ATTACK BY RESPONDING TO IT. MY ADVICE TO HIM " SAVE YOUR ENERGIES FOR ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP IN YOUR DEPARTMENT, AFTER ALL YOUR ESTEEMED TITLE IMPLIES THAT YOU HAVE PROFOUD KNOWLEGE AND EXPERIENCE IN MATTERS ACADEMIC AND NOT TRADE UNIONISM. I SALUTE YOU THE GALLANT SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF OUR SOIL WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THIS STRUGGLE AGAINST THE OPPRESSIVE, UNJUST AND AUTOCRACTIC MANAGEMENT OF THIS OUR BELOVED UNIVERSITY."

Not surprisingly, the University administration did not agree to the demands and one day after the strike began, sent a threatening letter to the University unions, saying:

"1. The University notes with grave concern that your members have carried through their threats and embarked upon an unlawful strike and elected not to report for duty since yesterday.
2. The University views such behavior in a very serious light as it not only amounts to a breach of employees’ individual contracts of employment but is also unlawful.
3. The University shall not countenance a situation where its employees embark upon unilateral, self-serving and unlawful actions without exhausting any grievance and dispute resolution procedures and/or processes.
4. The University demands that all striking employees report back to their duty stations and commence work by no later than 2:00pm today, failing which the University reserves the right to initiate disciplinary action which may result in the termination of employment of any member of staff who breaches his or her contract of employment.
5. We urge you to encourage your members to desist from continuing and/or participating in the ongoing unlawful industrial action and to further encourage your members to return to work.
6. To compound matters, your members have resorted to blockading parking lots within the University and have thus prevented other staff, students and visitors access to, and exit from, such parking lots. Apart from the inconvenience this has caused, such actions constitute not only a fire hazard but are unlawful.
7. The University insists that such blockages cease immediately, failing which all vehicles used in such blockades shall be clamped, and not allowed onto the University in future and the University reserves the right to initiate such legal proceedings as are necessary to stop such unlawful activity."

After this letter there was silence for many hours. No "we will never surrender"-type emails, no "Oh well, at least we tried"-type emails, no emails at all; nothing... So, it seems that the Unions folded. After all the bluster and bravado, the Unions didn't even send an email calling the strike off, or indicating what they plan to do. A day later an email from a staff member, lacking in substance but reminiscent of the early rhetoric arrived:

"The strike over the parking crisis is but a symptom of broader rot at this university. The strike presents a boiling point following an accumulation of grievances bottled over a long period of time. As others have said the strike was a resounding success and all the workers must remain empowered by their efforts. "

The strike was anything but a "resounding success". This last two weeks provided a peek into an Alice-in-Wonderland type alternate Universe. A Universe where the biggest problem, one deserving of a strike during the last week of classes, was the requirement to pay $12 per year for parking. A Universe where the one day strike was abandoned after one tough-sounding email and yet it is hailed as resounding success.