South African Revenue Service (Sars) workers plan to strike early next month after wage talks reached an impasse, the Public Servants’ Association (PSA) said on Thursday.
PSA deputy general manager Manie de Clercq said the union notified Sars on Thursday of its intention to down tools after the tax collector refused to budge on a 7% across-the-board wage increase.
The PSA is demanding a 12,8% pay hike.
”Strike action by Sars employees will dramatically impact on the effective gathering of income for the state and even international trade, as customs officers will form an integral part of the imminent action,” De Clercq said in a statement.
”Sars employees have a track record of sustained service delivery under difficult circumstances and the fact that their employer is offering only 7%, which is far less than the 13% settlement reached in the local government sector, has infuriated them,” he said.
Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackay said Sars revised its pay offer to the PSA and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) on Thursday. He could not elaborate on the new offer.
Within an hour, Sars had received a strike notice from one union, he said. The second notice followed later.
The unions had until August 31 to confer with their members on the revised offer.
”We remain committed to reopen discussion … they gave notice to strike and in the face of labour going on strike it closes the space for discussion, but we are always willing to talk,” he said.
The union wants Sars to increase its ”stay and travel allowance” to R260 a day and wants workers exposed to dangerous conditions to be compensated with a R400 danger allowance.
These workers include those stationed at ports of entry and those in investigation units.
The PSA lodged a formal dispute on August 5 and a formal conciliation meeting took place on August 11.
”The prescribed 21-day conciliation period expired on 26 August 2009, during which time Sars has made no effort to engage labour in an attempt to resolve the dispute,” said De Clercq.
”An overwhelming majority of 84% of members subsequently voted in favour of strike action,” he said. — Sapa