National Tertiary Education Staff Union @ University of KwaZulu-Natal

What are the Aims of NTESU ?

see below for statement from NTESU-UKZN

To get information from the NTESU national site go to http://ntesu.org.za/
What are the aims of NTESU nationally ?

* To organise and represent all employees in the tertiary education sector and related institutions.
* To protect and advance the rights and interests of the members at all levels of the organisation.
* To make representation to the State, the employer bodies and to any other body, nationally or internationally on behalf of the members of the organisation.
* To bargain at all levels with the State and employers on issues which are relevant to the working life of the members.
* To ensure the individual and collective representation of the members on all matters which might affect the working relationship of members with their employers.
* To advance the democratic participation of members in the structures of governance at institutions of tertiary education and related institutions.
* To critically examine the role of institutions of tertiary education in a changing society in an effort to promote the equitable and fullest utilisation of the resources of these institutions.
* To equip members with the relevant skills for effective participation in bargaining, policy-making and governance structures, and skills for the effective representation of their constituencies.
* To develop a sense of cooperation amongst all employees employed in the tertiary education sector and related sectors, nationally and internationally.
* To promote the efficient functioning of the tertiary education and related institutions in South Africa, promote critical thinking and education, defend academic freedom and autonomy and intellectual property rights.

Why should you join NTESU? (see Invitation to all staff)
NTESU could benefit you at both the institutional level and at the national level by giving you some ownership within the institutions, after all, your effective work is the creator of yours institution's profits.
Within an institution such as a university, technikon or college, an organisation like NTESU can help you in at least 3 ways:

* Support to individuals at all levels and functions who find themselves subjected to unfair labour practices by their employers
* Negotiating better conditions of service such as salaries and other benefits
* Representing you in discussions affecting the working and well-being of an institution.

Broader regional and national labour and educational policy issues are increasingly affecting tertiary education staff and NTESU can help in the following ways.

* SHRINKING FUNDING SYNDROME & MERGERS
NTESU will represent you in lobbying for an equitable share of national funds to be devoted to tertiary education.
* NEW OPPORTUNITIES, NEW PRESSURES
NTESU will keep you informed about national developments and enable you to have a say in discussions affecting your future and the future of tertiary education generally. The national Minister of Education has made it clear that he will require nationally coordinated action to meet national challenges. Operating a local and national levels NTESU will make sure you are represented not just in over-all strategic planning, but also in discussions of important issues such as methods of allocating funds and critical staffing shortages which can down grade the quality of our products.
* CAMPUSES IN CRISIS
NTESU will do whatever it can to help resolve crisis situations before they get out of control, in the interests of staff, students and all involved.

AN INVITATION TO JOIN NTESU
This invitation contains the following main sections.
A. Why join a union at all?
B. Why join NTESU in particular?
C. Further information?
D. How to join NTESU.
We’ve kept this document short and simple. Anyone interested in pursuing a topic in more details is free to contact us and explore the matter further.

A. WHY JOIN A UNION AT ALL?
There are 3 main reasons: (1) support for individuals in difficulty, (2) to be represented at negotiations with our employer, and (3) to have a say in national level discussions.

1. Support for individuals in trouble. Unions exist to serve their members, and rely on members’ subscriptions for their survival. If you have a disagreement with your boss - e.g. a Head of School or Division - it is very helpful to have someone
(a) to turn to for advice
(b) who can join you in making representations or indeed take up a matter on your behalf if you are being unfairly treated.
(c)who is skilled, experienced and can advise you on such processes as Grievances and Disciplinary hearings, and the CCMA procedure should this become necessary.
2. Being represented in negotiations with our employer. The employer negotiates salaries and conditions of service with the unions as elected representatives of the staff. If you want a say in the positions your representatives are taking on your behalf, pay your subscription and join in the discussion! Unions rely on membership subs. for their survival :larger memberships strengthen unions’ hands in negotiations.

3. Having a say in national level discussions. The government, with a strong mandate from the voters of S. Africa, wants a coordinated national higher education system that meets the needs of the country. The Higher Education Act gives the national Minister (at present Kader Asmal) some powers to help him/her achieve this, and of course universities depend on national funding from the taxpayer as well as fee income from students.
In July 2000 the Council on Higher Education published recommendations to the Minister on restructuring Higher Education in S. Africa. NTESU has not only submitted its views on what should be done, but also participated in a meeting with Minister Asmal in July discussing these recommendations. In February, 2002, the Report of the Minister's Working Group on Higher Education was published. NTESU is making a response within the public consultation period. In 2003, the draft criteria which HEQC may use in their visits to HEIs were published: NTESU made a comment.
It is the national unions in Higher Education, acting separately and also together in the Higher Education Employees Forum, which are able to join in these discussions in an organised way and have much more chance of being listened to than unions or associations which only represent staff at one institution. This is a major reason why the former JASA (Joint Academic Staff Association at the KwaZulu-Natal University) decided to become a branch of the national union, NTESU, as it wanted to make sure that the interests of KwaZulu-Natal University staff were represented in national level discussions.

B. WHY JOIN NTESU IN PARTICULAR?
If you want to join a national union at the University of KwaZulu-Natal , the choice is basically between NEHAWU and NTESU. Both have national offices, though NEHAWU is much larger, particularly because it has a large membership outside the Higher Education sector while NTESU specialises only in the HE sector. You could also join UNSU or COMSA, but they are not branches of any national union so do not have representation at the national level.
NTESU is "pro-transformation" in outlook. It was formed in 1997 from the former UDUSA - Union of Democratic University Staff Associations - that had been set up to help formulate well-researched ideas on how higher education in the new S. Africa should be organised.
1. NTESU specialises in Higher Education
NTESU’s membership is in universities and colleges rather than in many different sectors. This enables NTESU to concentrate on issues particularly relevant to higher education institutions, and draw on the considerable expertise of staff there.
2. The University of KwaZulu-Natal branch can make more impact
Representatives from the former JASA helped formulate the national objectives of NTESU and also to draft its constitution. NTESU-NU had a member on the national committee who played an active role in helping formulate policy. It is very important to make sure that the union puts its best foot forward in national discussions, and those who have seen NTESU in action in national discussions, for example at the Higher Education Employees Forum, or in consultations with CHE, can testify that it makes a major impact in these discussions. As the plans for re-structuring Higher Education in South Africa have emerged, NTESU has also been involved in national level discussion at the Ministry of Education. In 2003 , our branch mounted the Conference "Changing Working conditions in Higher Education" in Durban.
We can anticipate continuing to make strong input into NTESU nationally now that our branch treasurer was also unanimously elected the national treasurer at the recent NTESU Congress
3. Tradition of substantial branch autonomy
Higher education institutions vary tremendously. We are not told what to do by our head office, apart from the procedures laid down in the NTESU national constitution, and value this autonomy as it gives us a free hand to respond to local situations in the ways we think are best.

4. Emphasis on quality of analysis and argument, rather than confrontation
People watching discussions at the Joint Bargaining Forum at the KwaZulu-Natal University could see that NTESU comes from a tradition where a primary aim in negotiations is to present a case so well argued that it is very difficult for the other side to refuse. Our basic stance has been one of "joint problem solving" rather than "confrontation", as we want the University to be a success in the difficult times that face us, and we feel that good working relationships amongst all categories of staff are important. We are committed to openness, and seeking a consensus solution which all will support: these are very important features and will give much more reliable results than procedural manoeuvring and short-term tactical approaches.
5. No strikes unless most members vote in favour
NTESU does not have a tradition of using strikes in negotiations, although of course it has the legal right to do so. We foresee no calls for "sympathy" strikes and will take no such action unless most members of the branch think we should. If we have a good case and feel that the administration is not listening, we can follow other procedures such as declaring a dispute and using provisions of the Labour Relations Act or indeed open the matter for public discussion if this seems appropriate.
6. Accurate and impartial information for members
We also do our best to keep members informed of important current developments and consult them (so far mostly by e-mail) when the branch needs to take a position, or when national policies are being drafted. Such "consultation" messages go out to all members individually rather than as a University notice.
7. Promoting staff development
Recently NTESU has been awarded a seat on the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) for Education, Training and Development Practices. This is responsible for overseeing the use of Skills Levy funds for staff development in schools and universities. We are also participating actively in SETA working groups on Learnerships and the formation of an ETQA (Education and Training Qualification Authority) for this sector, and will do everything we can to promote high quality programmes for staff development. NTESU is also represented on the S.G.B. (Standards Generating Body) under SAQA which is defining the outcomes of qualifications for staff teaching in higher education.
C. FURTHER INFORMATION?
Please feel free to contact us if you would like further information. Our current chairperson Kesh Govinder, of the School of Math and Statistical Science, Durban tel 031... is on sabbatical in 2004. The Acting Chairperson is Tony Bruton, of the Centre for Electron Microscopy, Pietermaritzburg, tel 0332605155.The branch Secretary is Charlotte Mbali of the Centre for Higher Education Studies, tel 031 2601260 fax 2601340.
We can organise consultations on request if this will help you.
D. HOW TO JOIN NTESU
The subscription, deducted from salary, is R20 per month, of which R12 goes to the costs of running the national office while R8 remains here for branch expenditure.
If you are a member of UNSU or NEHAWU or COMSA and wish to join NTESU instead you should inform UNSU / NEHAWU/ COMSA that you are resigning from membership of that union.
We look forward to hearing from you!

Last Updated ( Friday, 08 February 2008 )