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100 signatures reached
To: Vice-Chancellor and Council, University of Cape Town
End Outsourcing at the UCT GSB: Honour the 2015 Commitment
Image credit: Ashleigh Furlong
We call on the University of Cape Town (UCT) to immediately cease the ongoing outsourcing practices at the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and remain faithful to the 2016 insourcing commitment. Specifically, we demand the following:
We call on the University of Cape Town (UCT) to immediately cease the ongoing outsourcing practices at the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and remain faithful to the 2016 insourcing commitment. Specifically, we demand the following:
- Cancel or suspend any outsourced security contracts (including Integrisec) at the GSB and across all UCT campuses.
- Reinstate direct UCT employment for all staff who provide essential services, ensuring fair wages, full benefits, and job security in line with UCT’s 2016 insourcing agreement.
- Campus workers, unions, students, and broader UCT community members must be involved in any staffing or service provision decision-making process. Proper notice and meaningful engagement must be standard practice.
- Guarantee no retaliatory actions against staff who speak out, and establish clear grievance procedures that respect and protect the livelihoods of long-serving employees.
- Commit to preserving UCT’s values and hard-earned reputation as Africa’s leading university by safeguarding both workforce integrity and campus quality. Thus recognising that when workers are undervalued, campus upkeep and morale decline.
These steps are crucial for aligning UCT’s actions with its own mission and values, maintaining a vibrant, equitable campus, and honouring the promises made in 2016 that shaped a more inclusive future for all UCT staff.
Why is this important?
Outsourcing at the University of Cape Town contradicts the values of equity, inclusiveness, and excellence that UCT strives to uphold. Many workers have served UCT for decades—protecting its facilities, caring for its grounds, and ensuring the well-being of students, faculty, and visitors.
On 31 December 2024, our Campus Protection Services (CPS) at the Graduate School of Business (GSB) were replaced with an outsourced company, Integrisec. This decision significantly reduced workers’ wages—staff now earn three to four times less than their CPS counterparts—and eliminated key benefits, including medical aid, pension, and fee discounts that UCT offers to insourced employees. Outsourcing not only erodes workers’ livelihoods but also exposes them to the constant threat of job losses whenever contracts are renegotiated. This shift betrays UCT’s commitment to equity and undermines the quality and reputation of our institution.
Security staff work tirelessly to safeguard our community, often during nights, weekends, and public holidays, ensuring UCT runs smoothly and efficiently. These staff members are an integral part of the UCT community. Yet outsourcing divides this community, creating a hierarchy where workers are treated as separate from students, faculty, and management. This division reflects the enduring legacy of colonialism, which normalised the marginalisation of black and brown workers. As a public institution committed to social justice, UCT must not perpetuate this marginalisation by prioritising cost savings over fair treatment and dignity for all members of its community.
In 2015, under intense student and worker advocacy, UCT publically committed to ending outsourcing and insourcing all critical service staff. That agreement was more than a financial or administrative change; it was a moral and social contract to address the injustices of precarious employment. Reverting to outsourcing not only breaks this commitment but also exacerbates the income inequality that continues to plague South Africa.
Under conditions of outsourcing, workers face adverse incentives that lead to a decline in campus upkeep and staff morale. When people are underpaid and feel undervalued, the level of care and investment in their work diminishes. Reports of neglect and decay at UCT’s upper campus illustrate the tangible consequences of sidelining those who keep our institution functional and vibrant. If outsourcing spreads, the entire university community—including the GSB—faces the same fate.
This petition matters because UCT’s stance on insourcing sets a precedent for ethical leadership in South Africa’s higher education sector and beyond. Together, let us ensure UCT remains true to its values and to the people who make it exceptional.
By signing this petition, you join students, staff, alumni, and concerned citizens in calling on UCT to do the right thing: stand by its workers, uphold its promises, and ensure that our university environment remains a source of pride for all.