TheChamp
Honorary Master
Deliwe Mzobe is one of 1 500 workers set to benefit from a decision taken by University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) to do away with private suppliers following a relentless campaign, initiated in 2015, by #FeesMustFall and #OutsourcingMustFall protesters.
Mzobe, who lives in Soweto, praised the students who, she said, “sacrificed their future” to get her a permanent job with a better salary and benefits at Wits.
She said she could now even “pay for the Rea Vaya” bus service to take her to work, instead of having to wake up early to catch a train.
She hopes that her child, who is currently in Grade 10, will be able to study for free at Wits once he matriculates, as one of the benefits that accrue with the institution’s decision to hire workers directly and permanently. Mzobe, a mother of two, worked as a cleaner for seven years without a medical aid, and earned about R2 000 a month.
“The student protests helped me because while there were still talks going on [about insourcing workers], our wages were raised to R4 500 and later, to R6 000. I got out of debt immediately.
“We now get R7 800, but there are lot of deductions, including for tax and pension funds, so we take home about R6 000.
“The deductions are hitting home and we still do not have medical aid because WitsMed [the university’s medical scheme] is expensive.”
Mzobe is a member of the Wits Workers’ Solidarity Committee, a coalition of workers, staff and students formed to show active solidarity with outsourced workers on campus. She was also involved in talks with Wits management about insourcing.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/wits-worker-praises-fallists-for-a-secure-job-20170311
Mzobe, who lives in Soweto, praised the students who, she said, “sacrificed their future” to get her a permanent job with a better salary and benefits at Wits.
She said she could now even “pay for the Rea Vaya” bus service to take her to work, instead of having to wake up early to catch a train.
She hopes that her child, who is currently in Grade 10, will be able to study for free at Wits once he matriculates, as one of the benefits that accrue with the institution’s decision to hire workers directly and permanently. Mzobe, a mother of two, worked as a cleaner for seven years without a medical aid, and earned about R2 000 a month.
“The student protests helped me because while there were still talks going on [about insourcing workers], our wages were raised to R4 500 and later, to R6 000. I got out of debt immediately.
“We now get R7 800, but there are lot of deductions, including for tax and pension funds, so we take home about R6 000.
“The deductions are hitting home and we still do not have medical aid because WitsMed [the university’s medical scheme] is expensive.”
Mzobe is a member of the Wits Workers’ Solidarity Committee, a coalition of workers, staff and students formed to show active solidarity with outsourced workers on campus. She was also involved in talks with Wits management about insourcing.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/wits-worker-praises-fallists-for-a-secure-job-20170311
