The Breakdown of Negotiations Leading to the Strike

Negotiations between University of Cape Town (UCT) management and the unions representing Professional, Administrative and Support Services (PASS) staff began in November 2025, focusing on the 2026 salary adjustments. PASS staff, encompassing roles from cleaners and catering workers to administrative personnel and technical officers in pay classes 1 through 12, sought substantial improvements amid rising living costs in the Western Cape. Initially demanding a 10% increase, the unions—National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU), Democratised Transport Logistics and Allied Workers Union (DETAWU), and UCT Employees Union (UCTEU)—reduced their ask to 7% to encourage compromise. However, UCT's offer started at 2.8% and only rose to 3.5%, aligned with the July 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI), leading to impasse.

The dispute escalated when talks reached deadlock, prompting referral to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). On 18 February 2026, the CCMA issued a certificate of non-resolution, enabling legal strike action. Unions served 48-hour notice on 23 February, culminating in the walkout on 26 February 2026. This process highlights the structured yet often protracted nature of collective bargaining in South African higher education, where labour laws mandate conciliation before industrial action.

• Bargaining initiation: November 2025
• Unions' revised demand: 7% salary hike
• UCT's final offer: 3.5% CPI-linked increase
• CCMA certificate: 18 February 2026
• Strike commencement: 26 February 2026

Such timelines underscore the unions' strategic patience, building pressure through formal channels before disrupting operations.

Understanding PASS Staff Roles and Their Essential Contributions

PASS staff form the backbone of UCT's daily operations, handling everything from campus cleaning and catering to administrative support, technical maintenance, and logistics. These workers ensure lectures proceed smoothly, facilities remain safe and functional, and administrative processes like student registrations and financial aid disbursements occur without hitches. At UCT, one of Africa's top-ranked universities, PASS employees number in the hundreds across pay classes 1-12, often earning below market medians compared to academics.

Their undervaluation stems from historical separations in bargaining forums: academics negotiate separately via the Academics' Union (AU), securing higher percentiles (75th for senior roles), while PASS remains at around 60th. This disparity exacerbates tensions, as a 3.5% increase translates to far less real gain for lower-paid cleaners than for professors. For context, UCT's salary bill constitutes 69% of operating income in 2025, up from 62% in 2014, pressuring fiscal sustainability amid past deficits.

In South African higher education, PASS roles are critical yet precarious, with outsourcing threats—like deep cleaning contracted privately at R5,600 per employee—fueling resentment. Explore university salaries trends or professor salaries for comparative insights in the sector.

Detailed Union Demands Beyond the Headline 7% Increase

The 7% salary demand addresses inflation outpacing CPI in Cape Town's high-cost environment, but unions outlined broader grievances unresolved since the 2024 strike:

• R1,500 monthly allowance for deep cleaning duties (rejected; outsourced instead)
• Improved promotion frameworks for career progression
• Review of long service awards, acting allowances, and night shift policies
• Unified bargaining forum merging PASS and academic negotiations for equity

These reflect systemic issues: PASS staff feel 'devalued,' with demands ignored due to perceived weakness. Paul Gaika of NEHAWU noted the reduction from 10% to 7% showed flexibility unmet by management's rigidity. Such multifaceted claims aim not just at wages but at dignity and parity in a post-apartheid academic landscape.

UCT Management's Stance Amid Financial Recovery

UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela emphasized valuing all staff, stating, 'Everyone matters, whether cleaning floors or leading as dean.' The 3.5% offer ties to financial recovery: after deficits of R193 million in 2024 (reduced from projected R270 million via austerity), 2025 yielded a R50 million surplus. The 2022 Financial Sustainability Plan targets salary bill cuts of R340 million through efficiency, not layoffs.

Academics received 6.5%, reflecting benchmarking (75th percentile via RemChannel), while most PASS exceeds 60th except PC5. Management regrets the strike but enforces 'no work, no pay' and Minimum Service Agreements for health and security. Contingency plans mitigate disruptions, with commitment to 48-hour engagement post-memorandum.

UCT's financial update details these constraints, common across South African universities facing enrollment dips and funding shortfalls.

The Strike Day: March, Tensions, and Memorandum Handover

On 26 February, over 150 PASS staff marched from Sarah Baartman Hall on Upper Campus to Bremner Building on Lower Campus, picketing from 07:00 to 16:30 as per CCMA rules. Chants and placards demanded fairness; tensions peaked as Moshabela was jeered while addressing the crowd and signing the memorandum. Fabian Botman of UCTEU declared, 'People forget the workers behind the scenes keeping UCT running.'

Spokesperson Elijah Moholola noted uncertain operational impacts initially, but unions warned of potential standstill. This visible action pressured management, echoing student protests resolved swiftly days prior over fee blocks.

Voices from the Frontlines: Staff Perspectives

Thabisa Penze captured frustration: 'Universities should effect change—if not, what's the point?' Naledi Hlalukana decried 'apartheid laws' favoring academics. Botman highlighted the earnings gap: '3.5% for a cleaner vs. a professor is massive disparity.' These narratives humanize the strike, portraying PASS as essential yet marginalized.

For career advice in higher ed, check higher ed career advice resources amid such disputes.

Salary Disparities and Equity Challenges in SA Higher Education

UCT exemplifies national trends: academics benchmarked higher, PASS lower, widening gaps amid CPI inflation. South African universities grapple with 72% average staffing costs, funding reliant on fees and government subsidies strained by NSFAS issues. Recent Wits protests over NSFAS echo interconnected pressures.

Unified forums could align scales, but separate structures persist, fueling inequities. Data shows PASS real wages lagging, eroding morale and retention.

Echoes of 2024: Patterns in UCT Labour Disputes

The 2024 UCTEU strike demanded 7.5% and unified bargaining, unresolved today. Recurring themes—low offers, outsourcing, respect deficits—signal deeper cultural rifts. Nationally, NEHAWU actions at NSFAS yielded 7%, contrasting UCT's stance.

Lessons: Early concessions avert escalation; ignored grievances brew strikes. For SA higher ed workers, see South Africa university jobs.

Potential Impacts on Students, Academics, and Campus Life

Short-term: Registration delays, cleaning lapses, catering shortages possible, though contingencies hold. Long-term: Prolonged action risks academic disruptions, mirroring student fee block protests. Students, post their victories, may sympathize, viewing staff as allies against austerity.

Broader: Erodes UCT's reputation as top SA uni (QS rankings leader). Solutions like performance bonuses (50% reinstated 2026) incentivize amid constraints.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Outlook: Mediation, Resolution Paths, and Lessons

Moshabela's 48-hour meeting pledge offers hope; CCMA facilitation or arbitration next if needed. Success hinges on flexibility—perhaps phased increases or allowances. For sustainability, UCT eyes tech efficiencies; unions push equity.

Implications: Signals rising militancy in SA higher ed amid economic woes. Job seekers, explore higher ed jobs, university jobs, or rate my professor for insights.

Balanced reforms—benchmark alignment, unified talks—could prevent recurrences, fostering collaborative campuses.