The Citizen reports that the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has confirmed that it is planning to carry out a national day of action on 26 November to protest against the government’s decision to freeze public-sector wage increases.  

In his recent medium-term budget policy statement, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni proposed growth in the public sector wage bill of 1.8% in the current year and an average annual growth of 0.8% over the 2021 medium-term expenditure framework period.  Meantime, the third leg of the 2018 public-sector wage increase agreement was not implemented in April this year.  In a statement, Nehawu accused Mboweni and National Treasury of reversing “the hard-won gains of workers while peeing on collective bargaining”.  The union said it would never accept a wage freeze on behalf of its members and workers.  It further pointed out that it had never agreed with a wage freeze or the non-implementation of the 2020 salary increases.  The union indicated that its members would march to the Union Buildings and Parliament to “raise sharply the issue of the onslaught on collective bargaining, austerity measures and neoliberal policies by National Treasury and the intended wage freeze”.  Nehawu also advised that it “is forging ahead with the national strike of community healthcare workers which is scheduled to start on the 11 November across the country.”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen
• See too, Major strike planned for South Africa over wage freeze, at BusinessTech

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