The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) will approach the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) with a Section 77 application in January to mobilise workers, parents and communities against “exorbitant” university fees and demand free education at tertiary institutions.

AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa said at a media briefing earlier this month that the union was in full support of the ‘university fees must fall’ campaign and believed free tertiary education could be achieved through the implementation of a wealth tax and other funding levers, such as an increased skills development levy.

“The training of these students will create a buffer of skilled labour that will complement our labour market and support these businesses. The cyclical benefits will accrue to business in the long term and therefore need only to be viewed as an investment into the future of the country and business alike,” he explained.

Mathunjwa noted that experts predicted that the cost of university education would rise to R1.2-million by 2033 and parents would need to save R140 000 a year from now onwards to cover the costs of sending their children to universities.

He highlighted that, in an economy with a “low wage regime”, characterised by “poor, slave salaries”, this reality meant that only the children of the rich would be able to access university education.

Mathunjwa pointed out that two-thirds of the South African working population earned less than R3 300 a month, adding that the salary of these workers was about a third of the total saving a year required to send their children to university in 2033.

“This therefore means that the children of the majority of workers will not be able to afford university education.”

He highlighted that, despite the availability of loans and bursaries, many students could not meet the additional costs of food, transport and accommodation, which eventually led to dropping out of tertiary institutions.

“Other students continue to learn, but are drowning in debt. They leave universities with this debt and have to work for years to repay the National Student Financial Aid Scheme,” Mathunjwa said.

He declared that AMCU members as workers and parents rejected the proposed “exorbitant” fee increase of 10.5%, as workers were forced to take inflation-related increases at workplaces.

Mathunjwa commented that many employers were not giving their workers “double digit” increases and yet workers faced “double digit” increases in expenses and the cost of living.