Solidarity member at UJ only exercised her duties – now being wrongfully harassed by representative student council
Solidarity demands that steps be taken
Trade union Solidarity today strongly denounced the actions of the student representative council (SRC) of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) for falsely accusing a lecturer of having plagiarised the work of a student.
This comes after the lecturer in question reported the student in question to the university after it had come to light that the student was allegedly implicated in spurious and plagiarised work himself. In his disciplinary hearing into the alleged plagiarism, the student argued that it was actually the lecturer who had copied his work. The university acquitted the lecturer from any wrongdoing.
However, the lecturer is now being accused of racism and plagiarism by the SRC and is being harassed on social media (see TimesLive report).
According to the Head of Solidarity’s Labour Law Division, Anton van der Bijl, it is outrageous that a lecturer who simply carried out her duties by having reported irregularities is now being harassed and falsely reviled as a racist.
“Solidarity, therefore, addressed a letter to the university in which the trade union demands that the university admonish its student council and see to it that the student council does not use racism as smokescreen for political gain. Our member also welcomes an impartial investigation into the allegations made and pledged her full support in this regard,” Van der Bijl said.
“What the SRC is engaging in is simply a form of politicking that will ultimately result in damaging the esteem and reputation of a highly qualified lecturer. Lecturers rely on research grants to carry out their research, and future research outputs will bear the brunt of unfounded campaigns such as this. Under no circumstances can this type of behaviour be tolerated and we trust the university will take a tough stance against the SRC,” Van der Bijl said.
To read the complete letter to the university, click here.
Statement issued by Anton van der Bijl, Solidarity: Head of Labour Law Services, 20 April 2018
