Public service unions met privately in Cape Town on Wednesday to discuss their response to an invitation from the government for informal talks after a deadlock in pay negotiations.
The government’s chief negotiator, Kenny Govender, approached the eight unions last Wednesday with a request for an informal meeting to find a solution to the deadlock.
The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu), the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) and other unions have met to discuss this request.
The general manager for the Public Servants Association (PSA), Anton Louwrens, said the unions would discuss their response to the letter and to determine their unified position regarding the deadlock and future negotiations.
The unions have demanded an 8,8% increase in the Public Service Co-ordination Bargaining Council.
The state’s offer of 5,5% (up from its opening figure of 4,4%) was based on a projected five percent consumer inflation figure for the 2004/05 financial year plus 0,5%, and an additional one percent for those who performed their work ”satisfactorily”.
When negotiations failed, the state declared a dispute, forcing both parties into the conciliation process.
The deadlock was reached when the two groups again failed to reach an agreement and a non-conciliation certificate was issued by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
Louwrens said the unions had shifted their demand to an 8,5% increase but have declared that they were ”open for further downward negotiations”.
”But they [public servants] will not accept 5,5% as offered by the state,” he said.
It is speculated that unions may accept 6,5%.
National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union spokesperson Molantwa Molaba said the unions were desperate to find a solution.
”We are trying to find a solution to avoid a strike but at the same time satisfying our members. It’s very difficult,” he said. – Sapa