Protests initiated by The National Education, Health and Allied Worker’s Union (NEHAWU) with members from the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has now come to an end. An agreement between the two parties has now been reached and outlined.
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Protests initiated by The National Education, Health and Allied Worker’s Union (NEHAWU) with members from the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has now come to an end.
NEHAWU and NSFAS has reached an agreement and signed a wage negotiation agreement on Monday.
NEHAWU has been participating in protests for two weeks demanding that NSFAS gives workers’ an increase of 8% to their salaries and NSFAS could initially only offer 4.3%. Salary negotiations have been happening since June.
Subsequent to weeks of collapsed talks both NSFAS and NEHAWU went back to the negotiation table to work on a wage agreement.
– NSFAS
This wage agreement will have NSFAS employees be back at work from today, 20 October, as agreed upon by both parties.
An agreement was reached which NSFAS says will, “increase the salary budget of the bargaining unit by 4.5% which collectively amounts to R6 296 429”.
This increase will be put into action and applied on a sliding scale outlined as follows:
- Level 3-8: an increase of 6% and a non-recurring once-off amount of R1457.74
- Level 9-10: an increase of 3%
- Level 11-12: an increase of 1%
This salary increase will be implemented on 30 October and backdated to 1 April 2020, said NSFAS.
NSFAS and NEHAWU have fully acknowledged that there is an urgent need to build and maintain relations amongst two parties which will be in the best interest of both organisations.
– NSFAS
Negotiations took place as NSFAS said, “NSFAS together with NEHAWU had established the National Bargaining Forum (NBF), a platform where issues of mutual interest are discussed, negotiations take place, agreements are reached and formally tabled at the bargaining forum”.
NEHAWU initially wanted an increase of 13% but later decreased it to 8%. NSFAS explained, “NSFAS together with NEHAWU had established the National Bargaining Forum (NBF), a platform where issues of mutual interest are discussed, negotiations take place, agreements are reached and formally tabled at the bargaining forum.”
A workshop will also take place for the two parties before the end of January 2021 which will see them build a relationship.
MEDIA STATEMENT – NSFAS AND NEHAWU SIGN WAGE AGREEMENT TO END STRIKE pic.twitter.com/90LtERwUar
— NSFAS (@myNSFAS) October 20, 2020