A massive stayaway by public servants will hit the country on Friday even if last-gasp efforts to settle their pay dispute with the state succeed.
”Friday’s strike is going to go ahead because all the unions have committed themselves to the action … it can’t be undone,” Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich said in Cape Town on Thursday.
Other public-service union leaders were equally adamant that nothing would derail their plans to cripple South Africa’s public service.
”Tomorrow [Friday] is a complete stayaway,” said the Cosatu Free State secretary in Bloemfontein.
Streets and stadiums throughout South Africa may be swamped by more than 700 000 people absent from their workplaces, both in large and small cities, when the strike starts.
School pupils can expect absent teachers and businesses are expected to feel a ripple effect of teachers downing tools as parents have reportedly been urged to take a day’s leave to look after their children.
Hospitals are also scheduled to run on minimum-service levels as medical workers’ unions join the strike.
In Pretoria, Cosatu said in a statement: ”The unions are united in their rejection of the current offer of 6% and [we] are resolute in our decision to embark on indefinite industrial action in pursuit of 12%.”
It said this emerged from a meeting earlier in the day of all public-service unions.
”Let us be very clear — there is no settlement, there is no new offer on the table, the parties remain far apart,” Cosatu said.
It rejected a reference to a talks ”breakthrough” by Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi as ”misinformation”.
”Either the minister is misinformed by her negotiators, or she is deliberately misinforming public-service workers and the general public.”
Appeal
Late on Thursday afternoon, Fraser-Moleketi once again urged unions to ”desist” from going on strike on Friday.
She maintained sufficient progress had been made in wage talks with the 19 public-service unions.
Should the strike continue, contingency plans were in place to ensure continued service to the public. The minister also warned against efforts to intimidate public servants.
”We appeal to trade unions and their members to also respect the right of employees to work. Any form of intimidation to prevent employees from working will be opposed by the employer.”
Fraser-Moleketi said security services, including police, were on standby to deal with any situation of intimidation.
Friday’s action will also see protest marches and rallies in major centres across the country, including Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Durban.
The South African Chamber of Business (Sacob) warned on Thursday that the strike could create ”unparalleled disruption”.
It urged the government and the public-service unions to seek a resolution before Friday.
”In the event that a resolution fails to materialise, Sacob would expect that public displays by workers will be controlled and that violence will be avoided.”
In a bid to curb the effects of the strike, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula approached the Labour Court in Cape Town on Thursday.
The court granted an order interdicting public-service unions from calling on immigration officers to join in Friday’s strike.
Judge Deon Nel said in his ruling that he was satisfied that the department could suffer irreparable harm if it did not get the order.
Teachers were also preparing to leave schools mostly empty, and many schools advised parents to keep their children at home on Friday.
The Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie (South African Teachers’ Union) — traditionally inclined against strike action — urged all its members to join the strike.
”This is the time to show absolute [worker] solidarity and everyone’s participation is now needed,” it said in a notice to members. — Sapa