Mediators were meeting separately with government and union negotiators on Friday evening trying to find common ground between their two conflicting wage increase proposals.
Public-service unions on Friday officially made a counter-proposal demanding a 10% wage increase from government.
This followed the government’s revised offer earlier in the week of an increased wage package including a 6,5% increase.
”This is a test if indeed they would be willing to negotiate. Failure to do so means all hell would break loose on Monday,” said National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers’ secretary general Success Mataitsane.
”We have not weakened [our position] in order to find a solution, find a settlement on this matter. We have put out a counter-proposal but unions reserve the right to move back to their original demands,” Don Pasquallie said on behalf of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).
Charles Nupen, who directs projects for the International Labour Organisation in Southern Africa, and Meshack Ravuku, from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) — the newly appointed mediator in the talks — were meeting with government and union negotiators separately to try and understand their individual proposals.
In addition to the 10% wage increase, unions were also asking for a year-on-year consumer price inflation less mortgage costs CPIX plus 3%, increase for next year.
”The other demands of the unions include that the same medical aid benefits be offered to all public servants irrespective of the medical aid scheme they belong to and we are still demanding a home owners’ allowance based on a bond of R300 000,” Pasquallie said.
Pasquallie said even if an agreement on the wage demands were reached over the weekend, union leaders would only consult with their members on Monday to determine if a new offer could be signed.
Earlier in the week the government said its revised offer amounted to R13,7-billion — R4,4-billion more than the original R9,3-billion offer and an extra 3,3% increase on the government’s wage bill.
The government’s offer also included the promise of revised salary structures for all categories of nurses, legally qualified professionals in the justice department and revised salary structure for teachers and school principals.
Other issues addressed in the offer included a revised night-shift allowance, medical subsidy for employees on the government medical allowance and the ”fast tracking” of the implementation of the housing allowance.
Mediators have also instructed both parties not to talk to the media as they were entering a ”confidential mediation period”.
They were set to continue talks throughout the weekend. – Sapa