OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Friday 5.30pm.
THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Friday called 14 of its unions to strike in sympathy with its three public service unions, planning a work stayaway next week.
Cosatu delegates at the 1,8-million-strong federation’s special congress supported the one-day strike planned for August 24 by civil servants pushing for an above-inflation pay increase of 7,3%.
The country’s 1.1 million government workers — mostly represented by Cosatu’s three public service unions — have decided to down tools to protest the government’s decision to halt wage talks and impose a 6,3% wage increase.
The some 2200 delegates at the congress adopted a resolution that Cosatu’s other 14 trade union affiliates “begin the process of engaging in secondary strike action and other forms of solidarity action.” No dates were set for the sympathy strikes.
Cosatu leaders slammed the government’s decision to implement its final offer and called on the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to return to the negotiation table. This came after simmering tension between COSATU and the ANC erupted into a public falling out at the three-day conference which ends on Friday.
Apart from the wage issue, COSATU and the ANC are also engaged in long-running disputes over the government’s economic policy and plans to cut thousands of jobs in the civil service.