The Cosatu-aligned South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) and other public service unions affiliated to the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) are considering a new wage increase offer of 7% by the government while Nehawu continues its protest with a demand of 10% for all public servants.
Yesterday, Sadtu’s national executive committee was still locked in a meeting to discuss the new deal, and hoped to consult with members before signing a final agreement.
As Sadtu is likely to accept the deal, this would likely cause more rift between Sadtu and other Cosatu-affiliated unions who boycotted the salary negotiations and embarked on a series of protests – some of which culminated in deaths at several public health institutions.
Sadtu national spokesperson Nomusa Cembi confirmed that the teachers’ union was considering the new offer.
Similarly, Fedusa unions are expected to hold consultation with all its members with a view to concluding wage talks before the end of the month.
Fedusa general secretary Fiefdah Ajam said his trade union federation was happy to report back to members and the public, that there had been significant strides made in the wage negotiations under way for the period 2023/24 after the employer tabled a revised offer of an average 7% to organised labour, which comprises the majority of unions in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council. The government had initially made an offer of 4.7%.
“Fedusa unions were clear at the onset of these negotiations that its members would not tolerate nor accept a wage increase which will not help offset the impact of the spiralling cost of living. The fact that the employer is near the inflation benchmark in the proposal that has been tabled has given us renewed faith in the power of collective bargaining.
“These negotiations have continued while public servants suffered the ire of their communities as other unions elected to take part in detrimental industrial action over historical issues.
“While Fedusa affiliates in the sector acknowledge that the issues that led to the strike are critical, it would have been ideal that labour collaborates in its efforts to secure workers reasonable wage increases in council, the only place we believe negotiations can successfully be held,” Ajam said.
He said unions in the chamber had moved from the initial 10% demand to 8%, bringing the parties closer to one another, saying Fedusa’s posture had always been that their approach to the negotiations was in good faith, understanding that it was a give-and-take process.
“Labour’s initial demands included a single-year term agreement and an increase of R2 500 monthly housing allowance. As matters stand, the employer has proposed a three-year term with CPI (Consumer Price Index) plus 0.5% in year 2 and CPI only in year 3.
“Labour has rejected the proposed term of the agreement, (but) placed it on record that workers are amenable to a two-year term with the second-year increase set at CPI plus 1.5%,” he said.
Ajam said organised labour in the council expected that a follow-up meeting would be held soon, with the expectation that the employer would revert to the response tabled by unions, saying they foresee that the negotiations would conclude before the end of the month.
Fedusa affiliates Naptosa, the Public Servants Association of SA, Hospersa and teachers’ union SAOU, along with Cosatu-affiliated Sadtu, attended the meeting on Tuesday, constituting the majority of parties in the bargaining council at 53.9%.
“We also note that the minority group that chose to boycott the wage negotiations since the onset of the process attempted to sneak back into the chamber to present their demands,” Ajam said.
“We deem this as the highest level of disrespect for the very workers they represent who remained on the streets and on picket lines on the premise that the solution to their frustrations would emanate from the strike.
“We are also aware that they have sought political interventions while promising workers that their toil, which pitted them against the very communities they serve, would yield fruit,” he said.
Nehawu spokesperson Lwazi Nkolonzi was not available to comment on the new offer.
Pretoria News