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BL Premium reports that on Monday, the Public Servants Association (PSA), which represents more than 235,000 public servants, will be serving the government with a seven-day strike notice over its demand for above-inflation wage increases.
This comes after the PSA rejected the state’s final 3% pay rise offer, which the government is considering implementing unilaterally. Department of Public Service & Administration Acting Minister Thulas Nxesi told the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) in a letter on 17 October that he was contemplating implementing the 3% to reduce uncertainty about the fiscal outlook. Section 5(5)(b) of the Public Service Act empowers Nxesi to unilaterally implement the final offer on condition that any such offer does not reduce existing pay or other service benefits. Invoking the clause will enable Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to provide certainty on the direction of the R665bn public sector wage bill, the containment of which underpins the credibility of his promises on fiscal policy, when he delivers his budget policy statement on Wednesday. The PSA’s Claude Naicker said that Nxesi’s letter to the PSCBC “angered workers. He stated: “They are now more determined than ever to embark on a strike. We were surprised by Nxesi’s letter to the bargaining council that they will implement the offer unilaterally. That has stoked the fires and leaves us with no choice but to fight back because this sets the tone on how future wage negotiations will be handled. This has a huge impact on bargaining, so on Monday we are going to serve the employer with a seven-day strike notice.” Three teachers’ unions, including Cosatu affiliate Sadtu, have accepted the state’s offer. But other Cosatu unions, including Nehawu and Denosa, have rejected the offer and have declared a dispute at the PSCBC. The matter is set for conciliation from 31 October to 1 November.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page