Public-sector unions are expected to meet the state in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) next week in a last-ditch attempt to avert a strike.
Bargaining council general secretary Shamira Huluman said the employer had sent a request for a meeting on May 28 and 29.
Unions had been given until Thursday to say if they would attend, she said.
A majority of council members was required for the meeting to go ahead, Huluman added.
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) public-sector union spokesperson Don Pasquallie confirmed that its affiliates on the council would attend the meeting. ”We will go.”
With Cosatu having 57% of the labour vote on the council, this in effect ensured that the meeting would go ahead.
The government’s chief negotiator, Kenny Govender, predicted ”quite a shift on both sides”.
”The purpose of that meeting is to get around the table to find a solution to the current deadlock. We’re hoping that we can emerge with a possible solution.”
Collective bargaining involved demands from unions and proposals by employers.
”At some stage you need to marry those two — both parties need to compromise.”
Previous talks in the bargaining council failed with the government’s offer fixed at a 6% wage increase while unions’ demand is 12%.
Eight unions are admitted to the council — four Cosatu, four non-Cosatu — but each also represents other unions in ”acting-together” arrangements.
On Wednesday, Cosatu unions dismissed government comments that strike notices for the June 1 strike, announced last week as a joint action by all unions, had not been issued.
”We’re preparing for [demonstrations on] May 25, but we haven’t received any formal notice for June 1,” said Govender on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said notices following the joint action announcement had not been received.
Notices were received for the May action, she said.
”The notice that we have given to the general secretary of the PSCBC says members of the union will be embarking on strike action as from 7am on May 25,” said Pasquallie.
He said the notices did not have to be amended if the unions decided to change the date of the strike, and that Cosatu notices had been handed in.
Unions intend to hold protest marches on Friday and the strike, originally set for May 28, is now due to start on June 1.
Pasquallie said the strike did not have to start at the time specified on the notice, but could start any time after that. This means that if the government intends to apply a ”no work, no pay” policy, it will have to monitor civil servants to determine when each person is absent from work and the reasons for this, he said.
Cosatu Gauteng provincial secretary Siphiwe Mgcina agreed.
”As far as we are concerned the notice has been issued.”
Mgcina said Gauteng Cosatu members would march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Friday.
Public Servants’ Association deputy general manager Manie de Clercq said the independent labour caucus unions were striking from June 1 and the notices were being prepared.
On Wednesday, there were conflicting reports on possible bilateral meetings between the parties.
Fraser-Moleketi said the government was to meet the unions in bilateral talks this week to ”refine issues around the agreement on the table” and to hear ”specific demands from unions”.
She said bilateral meetings would take place with independent unions individually, and with Cosatu unions as a group.
Govender said it was difficult to elaborate as bilaterals ”by their very nature” were confidential.
Pasquallie said while unions had the right to meet the government individually, Cosatu had previously decided not to take part in bilateral talks either individually or as a Cosatu bloc.
De Clercq said he did not know which unions would have bilaterals.
De Clercq, also chairperson of the independent labour caucus representing eight unions, added: ”We said to the unions that they are independent and welcome to have bilaterals with the minister.”
Fraser-Moleketi said she was still positive the matter could be resolved.
”We need to come together and solve this,” she said. — Sapa