BL Premium reports that the SA Local Government Association (Salga), which is the employer body representing the country’s 257 municipalities, says it has given its negotiators the leeway to discuss wages with an open mind and to factor in the rising cost of living.
But, it has also cautioned against bloating the wage bill. Salga, the Independent Municipal and Allied Workers Union (Imatu) and the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) have been negotiating wage increases at the SA Local Government Bargaining Council since Monday. While Samwu’s primary demands include a one-year 15% wage increase – almost three times the 5.2% inflation rate recorded in April and May – Imatu president Keith Swanepoel said the union would not be making its demands known. “Save to say we are in negotiations. We are still in the process. It is going well. It is slow because this is a big sector. Let’s hope for the best,” he commented. Salga president Bheki Stofile said the association had asked its negotiating team to “go to the talks with a very open mind”. He added: “We said we must look into the extreme cost of living today, but we must also be careful not to balloon the salary bill beyond the required percentage. Our team is very informed.” The rising cost of living has resulted in food, fuel, transport and electricity costs shooting through the roof and has spurred unions to demand above-inflation increases to offset it. Municipalities are at the forefront of service delivery but many are grappling with capacity challenges. This has led, in many instances, to the collapse of services including the provision of refuse collection, drinkable water and sanitation, while systemic looting, corruption and fraud have become rampant.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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