To whom it may concern,
We are writing this letter regarding the food service employees working on the campus of Stellenbosch University, with the opportunity of In-sourcing.
The reason why we want to be in-sourced is to have a decent living wage in order to provide for our families. We have this desire to work under better working conditions and a secured working environment. Our people who have worked their whole life on this campus are going to retire with nothing.
In most cases they are living in backyards or rental houses. In the case of retirement, they only walk away with the contract period of provident fund and UIF which allows them to pay two or three months of rent. My question is, what happens after that?
There is nothing to sustain them which also contributes to our countries economic crisis. This is only the tip of the iceberg of issues that we face as workers in our personal lives and in our working environment. There is a phrase that this University so commonly uses: HUMAN DIGNITY. What does this word actually mean? How do you define it for a worker that works on this campus daily, to provide for their families but goes home with nothing to show?
Touching on words of the late prof. Russel Botman, “We need to work hard to assist the poor to gain access to our university. We can only be satisfied that there is fair access when the daughter of the farm worker has the same opportunities as the son of the farmer.”
We urge you, as workers, that when you make your decision that you will do it bearing the workers in mind.
Thank you.
Regards
Stellenbosch University Outsourced Workers