MARIETTE LE ROUX, Pretoria | Wednesday
THE government put its foot down on Thursday, imposing a five percent pay rise on public servants following months of inconclusive wrangling with labour unions.
By the state’s final deadline of midnight on Wednesday, a majority of unions had still not accepted its three-year pay rise package, which includes increases of between 6,5 and eight percent for different job levels.
The package can only come into effect if accepted by a majority of unions. Only four of the country’s 12 civil service unions have accepted the deal. They are all affiliated to the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa), and represented 36% of public servants.
Unions affiliated to the Congress of SA Trade Unions, as well as four independent bodies, maintain they cannot accept a package which they fear will lead to major job losses.
“We are implementing our decision to give public servants our initial offer of five percent,” Public Service and Administration Department director-general Robinson Ramaite said on Thursday morning. There would be no further extensions.
“We have already started the process. Those who receive their salaries at month-end will get their increases at the end of this month — those who normally receive their pay on the 15th will get theirs next month.”
The Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for a five percent increase should a majority of unions not sign by midnight. Public servants will also get a once-off payment of R850 towards pay progression for this year.
Still the majority of unions have refused to yield, citing a clause on restructuring in the draft agreement which could lead to thousands being retrenched.
They also objected to the state’s proposals to end the payment of an agreed lump-sum bonus every year in the absence of a proper pay progression system, in terms of which workers are awarded for experience and years of service.
These unions were not opposed to the pay-rise element of the deal of between 6,5 and eight percent for this year. The now defunct offer also provided for increases of CPIX plus 0,5% next year, and CPIX plus one percent in 2003. CPIX is the measure used by the Reserve Bank to target inflation that excludes the effects of mortgage rates.
Pay increases for the following two years will now have to be negotiated from scratch. Cosatu on Thursday reiterated its call on the government to return to the bargaining table on the outstanding issues of pay progression and retrenchments.
“We can’t stop the implementation of the five percent, but it will complicate things at a stage when the issues were just about to be resolved,” said SA Democratic Teachers Union general secretary Thulas Nxesi.
“How can you have a government which is supposed to be a model employer being the one to walk away from negotiations when unions were still willing to talk?”
The Public Servants Association (PSA), one of those in the Fedusa stall, expressed disappointment at the state’s decision to go ahead with its threat of giving civil servants a five percent pay rise.
It was particularly concerned that unions had given up rights in terms of the draft deal to negotiate on the restructuring of the public service.
“We are now back to the position where the government can use Article 189 of the Labour Relations Act to go ahead with restructuring after mere consultation,” said PSA general manager Anton Louwrens.
Another Fedusa union, the Hospital Personnel Union of SA, blamed the Cosatu-affiliated and independent bodies for the impasse.
“We ‘thank’ the unions …. who did not sign the agreement for this below inflation increase and for allowing the state to withhold about two billion rand that rightfully should have been paid to hard-working public servants,” it said in a statement.
“These unions have effectively sold out the needs of public service employees.”
Independent union Naptosa, the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA, expressed disgust at the government’s move.
“We feel a lot of responsibility for the failure of the negotiations lies on the shoulders of the government negotiators, who displayed great arrogance and great inflexibility throughout,” said Naptosa representative Henry Hendricks.
“We are not considering a strike at this stage, but we will be consulting our members on a course of action.”
Cosatu on Wednesday warned that strike action may become inevitable if continued talks did not yield results.
Unions and the state have been wrestling over the deal since June. Unions have been given several extensions on deadlines to accept the offer. – Sapa
FEATURES:
State ‘not playing fair on public sector’ October 9, 2001
Crunch time for public servants September 12, 2001
ZA*NOW:
No agreement in public sector talks October 3, 2001
State raises pay offer September 28, 2001