The HPC staff have been in negotiations with HPC management since January. Gibson Lepoto, a shop steward at the HPC, said that the HPC staff were “fighting for [their] rights,” and claimed that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) issued them with a certificate allowing them to go on strike.
After the HPC asked for a postponement the strike was moved from 2 March to 9 March. Lepoto said that the HPC had still not contacted them after this postponement, leading to the staff beginning their strike. By 11:00 the strikers had dispersed and all entrances had been opened.
The HPC and university management released a statement explaining that the strike was due to “disagreement on labour matters, particularly of salary bonuses, between the company and the labour union representing the employees”, and also described the strike as “unlawful and unprotected”.
HPC CEO Tony Sutcliffe assured all HPC employees that the HPC is committed to negotiations with the employees and that HPC management hopes to “restore normality in a peaceful manner as soon as possible.”
Photo: Herman Hoogenboezem
