Public servants demand 8,6% salary increase
Thousands of public servants flanked by police officers marched to the Union buildings in Pretoria on Tuesday to hand over a memorandum of demands to the Public Service and Administration Minister Richard Baloyi.
The workers, affiliated with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the Independent Labour Caucus (ILC), are demanding an 8,6% wage increase, a R1 000 housing allowance and an equal medical aid subsidy for all government employees. They are also demanding that their salary increase be implemented on April 1 of each year so as to coincide with the national budget.
Holding placards reading “How can a hungry teacher teach a hungry learner”, and “A 7% increase is an insult”, the workers took to the streets to join the nationwide public-servants’ strike.
According to the president of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), Ezra Ramasehla, the national march by the public servants, which included teachers and nurses, is “a statement we are making not to accept the offer put on the table of 7%, which is unacceptable”.
Claudette Eksteen, a teacher from Hoërskool Uitsig in Centurion, was also at the march. The grade eight, nine and 10 teacher and member of the SA Onderwysersunie Union (Saou), said she decided to join the march because “we work really hard and we must build the future, so it is important for the government to pay us for that. Doctors can’t be doctors if they don’t go through us,” she told the Mail & Guardian.
A worker affiliated with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union, who wished to remain anonymous, said the salary she was currently receiving as a laundry maid washing hospital laundry in Rosslyn was too little for her to support her children as a single mother.
“The government received millions during the World Cup and we can’t even afford to buy cars or even an RDP house because we are working for government,” she told the M&G.
‘Full-blown strike’
South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said he hoped the government would respond to the workers’ demands — “if not we are prepared to take further action in the form of a full-blown strike”.
Maluleke added that Sadtu had already compromised its demands of an 11% increase and was not prepared to budge any further.
National secretary of the Young Communist League (YCL) Buti Manamela was also present at the march and supported the demands made by the public servants.
“We fully support today’s [Tuesday] action by workers and fully believe that the strike is justifiable and hope that by the end of the working day today government should heed your requests.”
Manamela added that government should not take the strike action personally.
“It’s about money. Money for workers and money for the education of the children of workers,” he added.
Baloyi, upon receiving the memorandum of demands at the Union Buildings, said he would give it the attention it deserved.
On Tuesday night trade unions will continue to bargain with the Department of Public Service and Administration behind close doors, in the hope of concluding the negotiations.