OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Wednesday 3.30pm.
THE wage demands of public service unions were “inappropriate” considering the limited funding available for social services, Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said on Wednesday.
She urged unions to return to the negotiating table, saying a solution could still be found which would satisfy state employees without undermining social spending.
Up to 500000 public servants aligned to the Congress of SA Trade Unions are expected to take part in a one-day strike on July 23 to press home their salary demands.
“The current demand of a 10% increase is not quite appropriate in a context where non-personnel expenditure has been declining over the last three years,” Moleketi told reporters in Pretoria on Wednesday.
She said areas such as housing, health, education and welfare had been receiving increases of less than the inflation rate.
The government has budgeted R3 million for a pay rise of 5,7% across the board.
Moleketi said the unions’ decision to embark on protest action was regrettable, particularly the resulting disruption of service delivery.
She announced that her department intended developing a new wage policy and salary progression system, and called on labour unions for specific proposals in this regard.