Moneyweb reports that public sector workers in the Western Cape are set to march to the parliament buildings in Cape Town on Friday over the protracted wage impasse with government.

Workers in this province were meant to join the nationwide strike organised by trade union federations Cosatu, Saftu and |Fedusa on 22 November, but their plans were disrupted by SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) protests taking place in Cape Town on the same day. A memorandum of demands was handed to Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxesi at a protest held outside the offices of National Treasury in Pretoria, demanding salary increases of 10%. In response, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) said it could not present a better offer than the 3% baseline salary increase and 4.5% non-pensionable increase on the current R1,000 monthly stipend paid to civil servants. The DPSA maintains that the matter is now one that belongs to the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council and further engagements should be held with that council. Cosatu spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said workers would continue lunchtime picketing during the festive season as they geared up to continue their fight going into 2023. “The festive season is here, and we would not want to have workers being disrupted. The other thing is, if we take workers on a march now, the likelihood is that government will withdraw their bonus funds,” Mamabolo said. He added: “The programme definitely continues in the coming year, because already, they’ve made the implementation of the 3% wage offer.”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntando Thukwana at Moneyweb
• Read too, 'We are unshaken' - Public service unions to march in WC over continued wage deadlock, at Fin24

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