Majority South African public servants’ unions on Monday signed a pay deal agreement, effectively stopping...
a nationwide strike.
a nationwide strike.
The agreement paves the way for salary adjustments and improved conditions of service from 2018 to 2021.
The
development averted a prolonged industrial unrest with the potential to
cripple the public services in Africa's most advanced economy.
South
Africa's 1.3 million public servants will be getting increases of
between 6 and 7 per cent, depending on their levels, including a
restructured housing allowance.
Detrimental offer
The
Public Service Association (PSA) confirmed that calling off the strike
was subsequent to the signing of a three-year agreement by the Public
Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) and the majority of
public sector unions, representing 65.74 per cent of the workers.
“The
PSA is disappointed that its efforts in the interests of public
servants were derailed by those unions that have decided to support this
detrimental offer by the employer that has plunged the public servants
into three years of financial hardship,” PSA General Manager, Ivan
Fredericks, said.
Groups that signed the agreement
include the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union, the National Education Health
and Allied Workers’ Union, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union
National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa, South
African Medical Association Public and Allied Workers’ Union of South
Africa, South African State and Allied Workers’ Union and the the
Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa.
Mr
Fredericks said the PSA would strengthen its efforts to ensure that the
face of the public service collective bargaining changed.
Bargaining council
“The
PSA will strive to ensure that the outcome of negotiations is no longer
distorted by politics and as dictated by those in support of the
mandate from the employer instead of the public servants who entrusted
them with their livelihoods. We lost the fight for financial
emancipation of public servants but the battle has just begun,” added Mr
Fredericks.
The deal has taken months of protracted
talks between the department of public service and administration and
public-sector unions at the bargaining council.
PSCBC
secretary-general Frikkie de Bruin said collective bargaining was the
ultimate winner with parties being resolute in negotiating a settlement,
irrespective of various challenges.
“Not everyone may
be happy with everything in the resolution, but overall it attempts to
address in some form the needs of the 1.3 million public servants
impacted by the agreement,” he said.
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