PSA strikes over salary negotiations

About 235 000 members affiliated with The Public Servants Association embarked on a national strike on Thursday

The PSA’s national strike action will be supported by its sister unions affiliated to Fedusa.

The PSA issued the Union’s strike notice last month after a deadlock was reached in salary negotiations following the government’s offer of a 3% increase and discontinuation of a R1 000 non-pensionable cash gratuity at the end of March next year.

The PSA has demanded a revised offer of a 6.5% increase and the continuation of the cash gratuity beyond March 2023.

The union said the increase is in line with inflation as members it says are feeling the pinch.

In a statement, PSA said:

‘’Public servants, like other employees and taxpayers, are feeling the severe effects of major price increases for fuel, transport, and food, as well as interest rate hikes, adding that Public servants’ pensions are stagnating, vacancies are not being filled, meaning that they are required to perform the duties of employees who have resigned and retired, which hampers service delivery. There are thousands of vacancies in the public service that government refuses to fill whilst unemployment continues to soar.’’

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PSA said the strike would have a serious impact on the activities of departments, especially Home Affairs, Transport, and Border Control.

This will be the first major Public-Service strike since 2010.

In the lead up to the national strike, members picketed across the country on Tuesday & Wednesday

‘’Apart from raising PSA members’ dissatisfaction with salary increases, the industrial action serves to condemn government’s disregard for collective bargaining process, properly instituted in the Labour Relations Act, and the value of public servants,’’ said PSA in a statement.

Meanwhile, the South African Government said that it has put contingency measures in place, but PSA says the strike will be peaceful. Furthermore, The Western Cape Education Department says it has contingency plans in place.

Government has called for trade unions to begin wage negotiations for the 2023/24 financial year, in order to conclude the process it says, before the Minister of Finance tables the final budget in February next year

 

Done By: Mitchum George