UNISA staff to be retrenched

By Jurina Nkwazi
6 December 2010

Over a hundred staff at the University of South Africa might lose their jobs by March next year.

Trade union Solidarity says, “Unisa wants to outsource the call centre function rather than incur further expenses to improve the performance of this struggling division but is not valid for a section 189 retrenchment process."

Solidarity Spokesperson Marius Croucamp says, “The real reason for the planned retrenchments is not operational or financial in nature, but ongoing staff-related problems and alleged poor work performance of the division."

“A formal section 189 process of retrenchment is followed when a company cannot afford to retain certain employees as a result of operational or financial reasons, in other words, the employer has no other choice but to retrench employees,” he said.

“However, in this case it appears that the university is blaming the planned retrenchments on employees’ alleged poor performance, which is contrary to the permitted reasons for a section 189 process,” he added.