SARAH BULLEN, Cape Town | Tuesday 5.35pm
PUBLIC service unions on Tuesday rejected a revised wage offer by the state, giving the government until Thursday to present a better offer, or face a nationwide strike.
Speaking after the day long meeting, South African Democratic Teachers’ Union president Willie Madisha said that the new offer tabled by the government in the Public Service Central Bargaining Council earlier in the day does not even take into account the current inflation rate.
The ministry for the public service and administration upped its offer of an average 6% pay rise to 6,15%, with an increase of around 6,3% for most public servants and 6,8% for teachers. The twelve unions involved are demanding a 10% pay rise for all public servants.
Public Servants’ Association spokesman Anton Louwrens said that his union is set to embark on a nationwide strike next week.
The three major unions involved — the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union, and the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union — claim to represent more than half a million civil servants. All three are affiliates of the Congress of South African Trade Unions which is supporting the strike.
ATES AT A GLANCE
Market movements, updated Tuesday 5.00pm. For more detailed figures from diverse sources, click here.
Rand per US dollar: R6,13
Monday evening: R6,14 Rand per Euro: R6,51
Monday evening: R6,42 Rand per UK sterling: R9,75
Monday evening: R9,63 Rand per Aus dollar: R3,96
Monday evening: R3,97 Rand per NZ dollar: R3,23
Monday evening: R3,24 Rand per Can dollar: R4,05
Monday evening: R4,05 JSE all share: 7 065
Monday’s close: 7 052 JSE industrial: 7 201
Monday’s close: 7 222 JSE all gold: 820
Monday’s close: 822 JSE financial: 9 742
Monday’s close: 9 674 R150 bond: 14,35%
Monday evening: 14,41% Gold price: $254,55
Thursday evening: $253,65