Overview

Code of conduct

The University of Cape Town and its service providers listed herein note and support:

• the founding provisions of the Constitution of South Africa, that describe the Republic as a state founded, inter alia, on human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms;
• the provisions in the Bill of Rights that address labour relations, including the right to fair labour practices, to join trade unions and to bargain collectively;
• legislation such as the Labour Relations Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act and Employment Equity Act, which set out the legal framework for industrial relations;
• the University's Mission Statement, including its commitment to promote equal opportunity and the full development of human potential, to transcend the legacy of apartheid and to overcome all forms of gender and other oppressive discrimination.

We hereby subscribe to decent standards of work and full adherence to the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including legislation that protects the rights of workers. We accordingly set out some salient areas in this code.

Freedom of association and collective bargaining

• The right of workers to join or form trade unions and to bargain collectively is recognised.
• A constructive and open attitude towards the activities of trade unions and their organisational activities is adopted.
• Worker representatives are not discriminated against and are provided with access to the workplace to carry out their representative functions.
• Regular monitoring takes place, culminating in an annual report prepared by the service provider on adherence to the code of conduct. Workers are invited annually to comment on adherence to the code of conduct and on the employer report. Both these sets of reports are circulated to the University Human Resourced Committee for comment to Council annually. Random inspections may also take place as appropriate.

Working conditions

• A safe and hygienic working environment is provided, bearing in mind prevailing knowledge of the industry and of any specific hazards. Adequate steps are taken to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, associated with, or occurring in the course of work by eliminating, as far as is reasonably practicable, the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment. Occupational health and safety practices are conducted in accordance with a best practice checklist provided by UCT.
• Regular and recorded health and safety training is provided, and such training is repeated for new or re-assigned workers.
• Access to clean ablution and changing facilities and to potable water and, if required, sanitary facilities for food storage, are provided.
• Accommodation, where provided, is clean, safe, and meets basic needs.
• Responsibility for health and safety is allocated to a senior management representative nominated by the specific service provider.

Minimum wages

• Minimum wages are paid in accordance with the Western Cape supplemented living level for African households with an average of 4-5 persons.

Other conditions

• Working hours will be a maximum of 45 hours per week, after which overtime will be voluntary and will be paid at overtime rates. A minimum, equivalent to 4 hours' remuneration, will be paid in any one day.
• A night-work allowance of 10% of the hourly rate will be paid for hours worked between 18h00 and 06h00.
• At least minimum legal maternity leave requirements are adhered to and the amount paid by the Unemployment Insurance Fund to an individual on maternity leave is supplemented, so that the individual receives a full basic wage while on maternity leave. Paid paternity leave of at least 7 calendar days is granted for each child born.

The provisions of this code constitute minimum and not maximum standards. Service providers are encouraged to exceed these minimum standards. It is assumed that service providers comply with national and other applicable law and, where the provisions of law and this code address the same subject, apply that provision which affords the greater protection.

Service providers are defined as those employers who have a service contract directly with UCT funded through the Council-controlled budget and who have permanent full-time staff in their employ, paid directly by the service provider.

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