Johannesburg - A major national strike is on the cards, according to the Public Servants Association (PSA) and the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa), which represent about 235 000 public servants. The strike is planned for November 10.
The PSA said the strike would have a serious impact on government departments, particularly Home Affairs, Transport, and Border Control.
"This will be the first major public service strike since 2010. The PSA issued the union’s strike notice on October 24, 2022, after a deadlock was reached in salary negotiations following the government’s offer of a 3% increase and discontinuation of the cash gratuity after March 31, 2023. The PSA has demanded a revised offer of a 6.5% increase and the continuation of the cash gratuity beyond March 31," the PSA said.
They said public servants, like other employees and tax payers, are feeling the severe effects of major price increases for fuel, transportation, and food, as well as interest rate hikes.
The union said that the cash gratuity, which is not pensionable and thus not an ultimate solution, assisted public servants and, if retained beyond March 2023, would further assist public servants who had not received a salary increase for the past three years.
"Government’s decision to unilaterally implement the meagre increase with public servants’ salaries in November 2022 has angered the PSA and the union will intensify its efforts to protect public servants’ rights and interests as underlined by nationwide marches on November 10.
"The unilateral decision by the government will have a serious impact on how negotiations will be conducted in the public sector in future. This irresponsible action has further damaged the already fragile relations and severe trust deficit between government and unions," the union said.
The PSA’s national strike action would be supported by its sister unions affiliated with Fedusa, it said.
The Star