Glenda Daniels
Congress of South African Trade Unions affiliates in the public service have accused the government of flouting bargaining procedures by making an improved pay offer to non-Cosatu unions outside the official bargaining forum.
As a strike by potentially 500 000 public servants loomed, state officials hotly denied this, accusing Cosatu of having missed the meeting at which the new offer was tabled.
The government issued an ultimatum to unions to decide by Tuesday to accept its final offer 6,5% at the top and 8% at the lower end threatening it would revert to its original 5% proposal, plus a once-off R850 for each public servant. This would add R5-billion to the state wage bill.
Unions say the improved offer has gone some way to averting the second public service strike in three years, but insist it does not go far enough, especially on non-wage issues.
Public service director general Robinson Ramaite says the state has “bent over backwards” to accommodate labour. “I believe most workers want to sign this agreement, except for the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union [Sadtu].”
Minister of Education Kader Asmal has warned teachers not to strike, saying such action will have an impact on learners nearing examinations.
The 30-day conciliation period ended last Thursday and was extended to Monday. Facilitator Ingrid de Villiers said while “both parties worked very hard to reach agreement, they could not find each other”.
Minister of Public Service and Administration Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said that to accuse the government of flouting procedures was “unfair and untrue”. Conciliation procedures had been closely followed.
Unions say they will strike if the government implements without their agreement. Says Moloantoa Molaba of the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu): “There will be extreme levels of anger, as this would signal the collapse of bargaining in the public. There will be serious comeback for the [African National Congress] and the government.”
Sadtu deputy president Edwin Pillay complains that teachers have not received inflation-related increases for many years, and that most earn R6000 a month.
Pillay adds that there is no career-pathing for teachers, who have lost benefits, and lack tenure security.
Last week’s ballot results indicate 80% support for a strike among the largest public sector unions.
Another sticking point is the linking of the pay proposal with “restructuring” which the unions say will include retrenchments.
The government has not indicated the scale of job cuts, Molaba says, claiming that the linking of pay and retrenchments undermines the 1998 Job Summit agreement.
Fraser-Moleketi disputes this: “The Job Summit agreement talks of restructuring, not retrenchments. We owe it to the people to have improved service delivery.
“Redeployment is crucial, as we have some areas that are overstaffed and some that are understaffed. We have to veer away from the bogeyman of retrenchments.”