Sunday Independent reports that SA’s 1.3 million public servants are using different tactics to force the government to honour the parties 2018 wage deal, which if successful could see their pay increase by billions of rand.
Public sector unions affiliated to labour federation Cosatu were scheduled to be back at the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) on Monday to continue with conciliation, which commenced on 28 April after a dispute was declared by the unions. The government still insists that it would wish to implement the 2018 agreement, which is in its final year, but through a different implementation modality due to the fiscal constraints imposed by unsustainable economic conditions and pressures created by the Covid-19 pandemic. In terms of the 2018 agreement, public servants were due in April to have received wage increases between 4.4% and 5.4%. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has warned that should the conciliation at the PSCBC not be in its favour, it will file for arbitration. “We believe that the dispute process must proceed to the next stage of arbitration as such the union will be consulting its structures for a way forward,” it said in a statement. Another group of unions affiliated to labour federation Fedusa has resolved to take the government to the Labour Court for breach of contract of employment and to enforce the existing agreement. However, they will have to wait until the national lockdown is over for their matter to be heard in court.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Loyiso Sidimba at Independent News
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