Employees Union refers unfair parking policy at the University of Cape Town to the CCMA

Staff parking at the University of Cape Town is demarcated unequally and reserved for a select sect of staff.

Professional, Administrative, Support and Service (PASS) Staff are forced to park in yellow tagged parking bays (yellow bays). Parking bays that are tagged in red (red bays), are reserved for Academic staff and staff above pay class 10.

Red bays are located within 5m - 10m from staff members places of work and offices. Yellow bays are further away, up to 700m - 1000m away from the offices and places of work.

The cost of red bays are considerably more than that of yellow bays.

 

Members of the PASS Staff have, for a number of years via the Employees Union, attempted to negotiate with the employer to remove the unequal access to the reserved red parking bays.

The University of Cape Town has persisted with prejudicing PASS staff with the irrational separation of staff members access to red bays.

The employer has unilaterally issued PASS staff vehicles with fines for parking in red bays - even when Academic staff are not at work during University vacation periods and the red bays remain vacant.

The University of Cape Town bears no responsibility for the safety of staff who arrive at work, in the early hours of the morning or leave late in the darkness of the night. The University of Cape Town does not provide security to escort staff members to their vehicles that may be parked almost a kilometre away in the dark of the morning or night.

 

PASS Staff members are willing to pay the higher cost of red bays and enjoy equal access of the convenience to their places of work and the sense of security of parking access. The University of Cape Town has denied PASS Staff every request for equal access.

 

The Employees Union referred the unequal access to the parking benefit to the CCMA (Case WECT4120-2) as at 01 March 2022.

The Conciliation effort at the CCMA failed. The CCMA issued a certificate for Arbitration in the matter.

The University of Cape Town claimed that the restriction barring PASS Staff from access to red bays cannot be removed. The decision to lift the restriction rested with the University Space Allocation Committee.

The Employees Union made representations, citing unfair practice, to the University Space Allocation Committee on 20 May 2022.

At the time of this report, there has been no feedback and / or communication from either the University executive, management nor the University space allocation committee.

PASS Staff are treated with an unprecedented degree of disrespect in comparison to other University community members.

 

The Arbitration of the unequal access to parking facilities is set to be heard on the 22 September 2022.