Fin24 reports that seven unions in the public service, representing 800,000 members, have vowed to disrupt service at offices, hospitals and courts in a national day of action next week Tuesday in protest against the unilateral implementation of a 3% baseline increase in public wages.

The national day of action will include a march to the offices of the National Treasury in Pretoria, and protest action in all nine provinces. The announcement was made at the headquarters of the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) on Thursday morning. The government's decision to unilaterally implement a 3% baseline increase prompted the Public Servants Association (PSA) to hold a one-day public service strike last Thursday, demanding a better wage offer and ending job cuts in the public service. The PSA had given the government a week to respond to its demands at last week's strike, but, at the time of the briefing, the government had not yet done so. Along with the PSA, other unions at the briefing were Nehawu, Popcru, Sapu, Denosa, Nupsaw and Hospersa. Announcing the national day of action, Popcru's first deputy president Khehla Masemola said the unions rejected the 3% baseline increase, especially after the government reneged on a previous wage deal in 2020. Masemola said demonstrations would continue beyond next week's national day of action "until the day that unions declare a [full-blown] strike". The unions at the briefing said even public servants who constituted essential services were prepared to embark on industrial action.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24

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