Public sector unions warn of massive strike after wage bill court loss
The Public Servants Association (PSA) says it will be drafting new demands for public servants’ wage increases.
This comes after the Labour Appeals Court has dismissed the application by public sector unions seeking to force the government to implement salary increases for this financial year.
The court on Tuesday ruled that clause 3.3 in the wage agreement signed in 2018 infringed on the mandatory legal requirements governing the conclusion of wage agreements by government.
The PSA had submitted that the wage increases, which are set at just over 5%, will only cost the state R10 billion.
Spokesperson Reuben Maleka says the union is still studying the judgment, but that they are ready to approach the court with fresh demands.
“We still have to fully read the judgment but noting from the comment that the agreement is unlawful due to the budget constraint by the state, we will only now get an opportunity to table fresh demands. Remember we were not even signatories for the first resolution because we believe that whatever that was in that resolution was insignificant.
“So, this presents us with more opportunity to table fresh demands and if they are not met, we are going to see that we have never experienced the strike that is coming. We believe it will be on a month-to-month basis that the public service is not functioning,” says Maleka.
Listen to Reuben Maleka below:
He says they believe government is failing to honour its commitments.
“We are dealing with crooks here in a form of the cabinet. They lied to us, they made us believe that there is a resolution and the same cabinet come back and even go to court to say whatever that they said it’s a lie, and it’s not even a surprise this is the same government that made promises to the public and never delivered anything.”
Maleka says the unions’ fresh demands will include 2020 wage increase.
“In 2020 we didn’t have salary adjustments, so we must first make a demand that will address our salary adjustments for 2020. If it’s not met, unfortunately we are going to ensure that there is no single public servant who will be rendering services until our demands are met.”
ALSO READ
