The Cabinet has dismissed suggestions government is insensitive to the plight of its employees and called for ”responsible leadership” during protest actions around the country.
At its fortnightly meeting on Wednesday, the Cabinet noted that the negotiations with the public-service unions ”were in full swing and expressed the hope that an agreement will be reached sooner rather than later”, government communications head Themba Maseko told a media briefing on Thursday.
He said the government was doing all it could by negotiating in good faith, to ensure that the benefits of its employees were addressed systematically.
”We reject any insinuation that government is insensitive to the plight of its employees,” he said.
In the event of a public-sector strike on Friday, measures would be put in place to ensure that government business continued.
Maseko said the protests in some parts of the country over the past few weeks had also been noted.
”Without detracting from citizens’ right to express their concerns through protest action, Cabinet took the view that violence against persons and destruction of property is an unacceptable way of raising concerns. No one has the right to take the law into their own hands.
”Numerous channels exist in our democratic society for people to raise their concerns and there can never be any justification for violence and lawlessness.
”Law enforcement agencies will be called upon to ensure that those who break the law are dealt with,” he said.
However, members of the executive and government officials also had a duty to interact with communities in a manner that engendered confidence that the government cared about the needs of communities.
He also called on leaders in all sectors of society to ”provide the kind of leadership that will ensure that the gains we’ve made in building a democratic society are not undermined by the violence that has characterised some of these protests”.
”[Essentially} We are calling for responsible leadership,” Maseko said.
‘Nothing more than a discussion document’
A 6,5 % to 9% increase will form the basis for the government and public-service unions to continue talks to resolve the wage dispute.
On Wednesday afternoon the parties at the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council in Pretoria decided to adopt the technical document, containing the proposed increase bracket, as a discussion document.
The document was described by Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi in Parliament on Wednesday as ”a major breakthrough”.
Officially government’s offer was fixed at a 6% wage increase while the unions’ demand was still standing at 12%.
”This gives us the opportunity in a comprehensive manner to seek a new mandate. When that is going to happen is difficult to say. There are processes on both sides we need to follow but we’re looking at a very speedy process going forward,” said the government’s chief negotiator, Kenny Govender.
But unions were less positive, saying not much could be deduced from the tabling of the document.
”The document is nothing more than a discussion document. It is an unmandated document — all the parties have to go back to get further mandates,” said Chris Klopper on behalf of the Independent Labour Caucus.
South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) deputy general secretary Don Pasquallie said: ”Sadtu is rejecting this as a working document on the basis that nothing has changed.”
The document was drawn up earlier in the week by a technical committee consisting of government and union negotiators. – Sapa