An ”indefinite” full-blown strike has been set to start on May 28 for public-sector unions affiliated to the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu), the federation said on Tuesday.
”We are talking about indefinite action — not a symbolic strike for a day or two,” South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) general secretary Thulas Nxesi told a media briefing with union heads at Cosatu House in Johannesburg.
Mass marches will take place next Friday with demonstrations, picketing and a night vigil at Parliament on Sunday in the build-up to full industrial action.
The Cosatu unions command roughly 60% of public-service workers, including police, doctors, nurses and teachers.
Later this week the Cosatu affiliates will meet independent unions, which are still balloting members, to finalise a joint programme of action.
Last week the Cosatu affiliates and independent unions were united in rejecting government’s 6% wage-increase offer.
The unions stood by their 12% demand.
The unions agreed to only return to negotiations if the government ”significantly improved the offer”, said National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) general secretary Fikile Majola.
When asked to define a significant offer, Nxesi said: ”We are standing at 12%”.
Majola said that Cosatu unions with essential-services workers — who may not strike according to the Labour Relations Act — will meet on Wednesday with legal officers.
The meeting would also discuss a consideration to declare a dispute on essential services over the lack of minimum service-level agreements with government.
Nxesi said the unions did not want to strike but were ”forced into it”.
”We don’t have the intention of bringing the government to its knees — we have the intention of making our voice heard.”
Any ”divisive measures” by the government to meet unions separately would be rejected, he said.
”We’re not going to fall into that trap.”
The unions have refused to accept salary increases limited to inflation targeting.
Earlier this month Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said 6% was government’s final offer.
The last public-sector strike took place in 2004.
The eight Cosatu affiliated unions are Sadtu, Nehawu, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, the Public and Allied Workers’ Union of South Africa, the South African Democratic Nurses’ Union, the South African Medical Association, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union and the South African State and Allied Workers’ Union.
Teachers vote to join strike
Almost half of about 220 000 members of Sadtu have voted in favour of joining the public-service strike.
Nxesi said that by Monday evening half the votes had been counted and the job would probably be finished by the end of the week.
Sadtu, with 230 000 members, is the biggest trade union affiliated to Cosatu. Nxesi said the 7 000 to 10 000 members employed at private schools will not participate in the strike.
Other Cosatu affiliates, the South African Democratic Nurses’ Union, the South African State and Allied Workers’ Union confirmed on Monday that their members will be downing tools.
An independent union, the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa, representing teachers and nurses, also said its members will strike.
Meanwhile, Fraser-Moleketi told a press conference that public-service unions do not understand the government’s wage-increase offer and therefore cannot negotiate seriously about it.
She said the government wants workshops to explain its offer to those who are in the coordination bargaining chamber. The government is still open to further negotiations, but said it is waiting for organised labour to ”engage”. — Sapa