DUT protest: security officers fired

More than 20 security officers contracted to the Durban University of Technology have been dismissed after ongoing #OutsourcingMustFall protests.

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Cape Town - More than 20 security officers contracted to the Durban University of Technology have been dismissed after ongoing #OutsourcingMustFall protests.

These officers, together with suspended cleaning staff, gathered at the university’s Steve Biko campus on Monday after receiving notice of their dismissal via SMS last week.

The security officers were employed by Pietermaritzburg-based Mi7 Security Intelligence, which had been awarded a five-year contract to provide security services at all the DUT’s campuses since 2014.

The #OutsourcingMustFall movement calls for support staff, usually security and cleaning staff at public education institutions, to be directly employed by the universities instead of hired by private companies contracted to the institutions.

The movement has swept the country, with protests erupting at the University of Cape Town, Tshwane University of Technology and University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Human resource manager, Kevin John, on Monday said they had taken the decision to dismiss the 24 employees after they; “intimidated and threatened” working staff while on suspension.

They were suspended “for participating in an illegal strike” last month.

Twenty-nine security and cleaning staff, as well as students, were arrested and later released on warning at the Durban Magistrate’s Court. They are expected back in court at the end of the month.

John said they were suspended pending a hearing but, because they interfered with working staff, they were summarily dismissed.

Safeguard

“This is a small batch compared to the 400 staff at all campuses. Our priority is to safeguard the students, staff, property and vehicles on campuses, and we have brought in more staff to ensure those dismissed do not interfere,” he said.

In-sourcing, he said, would hurt Mi7’s bottom line. However he wished the security staff all the best in their endeavours. John said they paid salaries in line with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA).

According a salary rates circular on PSiRA’s website, effective September 2014, a security officer working in Durban on the lowest grade, earns R3 172 and the highest R4 312. A 42-year-old security officer, who did not want to be named, said she had earned R3 400 working a 12-hour shift, five days a week. This had increased by R700 in the eight years she had been a security officer at DUT.

This was a major salary boost for the KwaMashu mother of four, who had started as a cleaner earning R1 700 and has the only stable income in her household.

Her children live with their grandmother as her salary only covers basic expenses.

“I can live like this, it’s fine, but I don’t want my children to, and at this rate, I will never be able to afford the education that will ensure them a better life,” she said.

Although dismissed, she said she would continue with the #OutsourcingMustFall activities at DUT because she wanted to give her children a fighting chance at life.

“If I am employed under DUT, my children will study for free and not be forced to live from hand to mouth like we are.”

A DUT task team probing in-sourcing is expected to report back to the university council later this month and a decision is expected in June.

Daily News

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