Public service unions aligned to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) will march to the offices of the Treasury in Pretoria next week after no agreement was reached in wage talks with the state.
The march represented “the first step” in taking “our battle” to the streets‚ National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) general-secretary Bereng Soke said on Thursday.
Speaking to the media at the headquarters of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council on Thursday‚ Soke said parties had failed to reach a solution to the deadlock‚ again accusing state negotiators of “ill-informed overconfidence and carelessness“.
Three days of scheduled conciliation talks ended on Wednesday‚ but were expected to continue‚ South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) deputy general secretary Nkosana Dolopi said on Thursday.
“Our unions will conclude the ongoing membership consultation processes by next week. We are going to continue negotiating with the employer ... but the writing is on the wall for us that the employer‚ cheered on by the Treasury‚ is prepared to emasculate the union and undermine the concept of bargaining.”
About 1.3-million public servants covered by the council have been bargaining with the government since November last year‚ demanding a real wage increase of between 10% and 15% and improved benefits‚ including in housing‚ medical aid and paternity and maternity leave.
Soke said on Thursday that the union’s demands remained unchanged — a 10% wage increase in a one-year deal. The government had offered a three-year wage deal of a 5.8% wage increase‚ or inflation plus 1% in the first year‚ followed by inflation plus 0.5% in years two and three.
Public service workers to march on Treasury
The march represented “the first step” in taking “our battle” to the streets‚ National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) general-secretary Bereng Soke said on Thursday.
Speaking to the media at the headquarters of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council on Thursday‚ Soke said parties had failed to reach a solution to the deadlock‚ again accusing state negotiators of “ill-informed overconfidence and carelessness“.
Three days of scheduled conciliation talks ended on Wednesday‚ but were expected to continue‚ South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) deputy general secretary Nkosana Dolopi said on Thursday.
“Our unions will conclude the ongoing membership consultation processes by next week. We are going to continue negotiating with the employer ... but the writing is on the wall for us that the employer‚ cheered on by the Treasury‚ is prepared to emasculate the union and undermine the concept of bargaining.”
About 1.3-million public servants covered by the council have been bargaining with the government since November last year‚ demanding a real wage increase of between 10% and 15% and improved benefits‚ including in housing‚ medical aid and paternity and maternity leave.
Soke said on Thursday that the union’s demands remained unchanged — a 10% wage increase in a one-year deal. The government had offered a three-year wage deal of a 5.8% wage increase‚ or inflation plus 1% in the first year‚ followed by inflation plus 0.5% in years two and three.
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