SOUTH AFRICA
After days of hesitation, the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has announced that its affiliated public sector unions will not sign up to the Government’s pay deal.
SAFTU said the 7 per cent increase was not acceptable given the fact its members had to pay the Government-imposed 15 per cent Value-Added Tax.
“The agreement discriminates against our level eight-to-12 members, especially in subsequent years,” SAFTU said.
“The agreement subjects them to another torturous three-year period of stagnations and degradation rather than a one-year agreement we would have preferred.”
It said the agreement took away PS employees’ rights to the Housing Allowance and it could not agree to take away a single cent from it members.
SAFTU accused non-affiliated public sector unions that have signed the agreement of “political opportunism”.
It warned that this was “the last round of negotiations wherein workers in the Public Service will be insulted in this way again”.
The development comes after Minister for Public Service and Administration, Ayanda Dlodlo (pictured) said the public sector wage bill was crippling the country, with salaries accounting for 35 per cent of Government spending.
Ms Dlodlo has told all Ministries to cut back on all non-essential spending.
“You have to look at the salaries, for starters, in your Department and whether you can afford to have more people in your establishment,” Ms Dlodlo said.
Some unions, including the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union and the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union have accepted the Government’s offer, but under industrial law 50 per cent plus one of all unions must agree for anyone to receive the deal.
That figure has not been reached.
Pretoria, 30 May 2018
