The government on Thursday night increased its housing allowance offer to public servants, but would not budge on its 7% salary offer.
This week’s teacher action highlights the disparities in South African society.
Public-sector unions and the government were scheduled to meet for another round of wage talks in Pretoria on Thursday evening, an official said.
Unions representing more than one million civil servants and the government plan wage talks on Thursday, hours before a union deadline.
Public-sector unions representing more than a million workers staged a one-day strike on Tuesday, threatening an extended labour stoppage this week.
The government raised its pay offer to civil servants on Thursday to try to avert a strike by nearly a million public workers.
The government will not budge from its offer of a 6,5% wage increase to the public-service sector.
A senior Cosatu leader has expressed fear that the looming public-service strike will damage the federation’s good relations with Jacob Zuma.
More than 200 000 members of the Public Servants’ Association (PSA) will go on strike on Thursday.
Representatives of public-sector unions affiliated to Cosatu are still finalising their decision on whether to join a nationwide pay strike.
A number of public-service unions on Wednesday indicated they intend to strike over a deadlock with the state over salary negotiations.
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/ 16 October 2008
And the fourth is on its way as Niren Tolsi reports on the municipal strike that has left eThekwini in tatters.