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10 December 2021 | Story Lacea Loader

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) approved the retirement age of all staff members to 65 this week. 

“The current retirement age for staff members of the UFS is 65 years for those appointed prior to 1 June 1998, and 60 years for those appointed after 1 June 1998. The Council’s decision to amend the retirement age to 65 comes after an extensive benchmarking process involving the university’s two labour unions, NEHAWU and UVPERSU, which requested that the retirement age of all staff members be adjusted to 65,” said Prof Francis Petesen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

 This amendment brings the university in line with other universities and will assist in overcoming a negative impact on the recruitment and attraction of high-calibre academic and specialist staff.

 Parallel to the amendment of the retirement age in the Conditions of Services, the university is also adapting the allocation of vacation leave. “We are currently facing a challenge in terms of the provision of the staff leave liability, which has a major financial implication for the UFS. In consultation with stakeholder unions the accumulation of vacation leave has been adjusted to a maximum of five days per year,” said Prof Petersen.

 The new retirement age to 65 and the adjusted accumulated vacation leave days will be affected from 1 January 2022. Staff who are set to retire on 31 December 2021 may opt to continue to the age 65. This amendment will not apply to staff that may have already retired.

Adjusted vacation as from 1 January 2022:

Academic staff:

Current number of vacation days: 42 
Approved Leave Days
Number of vacation days: 30
Additional research leave days: 12 (non-cumulative and expires at the end of each calendar year)

Support staff:

Deputy Director and higher levels
Peromnes Level: 1 – 6
Current number of leave vacation days: 36
Approved number of vacation days: 30

Assistant Director to Officer
Peromnes Level: 7 – 14
Current number of leave vacation days: 30 - 28
Approved number of vacation days: 28

Service Workers 
Peromnes Level: 15 - 18
Current number of leave vacation days: 24
Approved number of vacation days: 24

 

News Archive

Registration process not affected by power shedding
2008-01-24

The power shedding that has been affecting the country over the last few weeks has no effect on the University of the Free State’s (UFS) registration process and it is continuing as normal.

The Callie Human Centre in Bloemfontein, where the registration process of the Main Campus is taking place, is supplied with emergency power. Although power shedding is taking place on the rest of the campus, the centre is not affected by this. The registration process has been running smoothly so far.

“It appears that students are under the impression that the registration process is also affected by the power shedding and, as a result, they are turning up in smaller numbers than usual to register. This can cause problems for us later on because the registration process is divided into different categories of students and it takes place according to a predetermined programme,” said Mr Vernon Collett, Registrar of Academic Student Services at the UFS.

“If students do not keep to the registration programme it can create unnecessary delays in the registration process. I want to encourage students to keep to the predetermined registration dates that are applicable to them as the academic year will commence soon,” said Mr Collett.

Senior undergraduate students (that is students entering their second or later year of study) started registering on Monday, 21 January 2008. Students who applied for admission to the Main Campus after 30 November 2007 and were accepted, must register from 4 February 2008 according to a process applicable to them. Lectures will start on 4 February 2008 and the registration process will end on 8 February 2008. Registered modules can be amended from 4-8 February 2008.

Detailed information on the dates and times of registration for the various faculties and academic learning programmes is available on the UFS website at www.ufs.ac.za.

 

MEDIA RELEASE

Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za

24 January 2008
 

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