City Press reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) said on Friday that it would start preparations for industrial action this week if government did not offer a favourable way forward on the public sector wage dispute.

PSA spokesperson Reuben Maleka said that, despite the association having declared a dispute, it had made every effort to engage with the employer (government) during the conciliation process on Thursday regarding the salary proposal tabled to other unions. He said the PSA had also stressed that the matter should not be dragged to the courts, thereby preventing PSA members from embarking on strike action. Maleka indicated further: “In short, the employer argued that the majority parties were still engaged in negotiations when the PSA declared a dispute. The employer requested 10 days to submit its arguments in writing. The PSA strongly objected to the time required by the employer to do this. We indicated that two days were enough. The employer will be given two days to respond to the PSA’s reply.” The PSA filed its wage dispute on 11 May and, as a result during the conciliation hearing on Thursday this week, government refused to deliberate orally with the union and requested approval to submit its arguments in writing. Government argued that the PSA’s declaration of a dispute had been premature, since the majority of the unions were still engaged in negotiations. A knowledgeable source commented: “The PSA is aggrieved by the route they themselves took of lodging a dispute. In my view, they thought that moving out of facilitation and lodging a dispute would give them political mileage. Yet now they’re not getting any traction from their stance.”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thuletho Zwane at City Press

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