The South African Public Servants Association (PSA) and the country’s Policing Union have jointly declared a dispute with the Government after last-ditch talks to solve a pay dispute failed.
This follows a statement from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) slamming the Government and its economic advisers for failing to budge from their zero pay offer.
The Cosatu statement called the Government’s stance “insulting”.
“The Government’s intransigent attitude towards the current Public Service wage negotiations is regrettable and insulting, especially for the nurses that serve as front-line workers waging a war against a deadly disease,” Cosatu said.
According to the PSA, Public Servants had placed their lives at risk by ensuring that citizens were taken care of during the COVID-19 pandemic and were still committed to serving citizens.
Cosatu assured its 235,000 members that it would not allow Public Servants to be used as scapegoats for the maladministration and corruption perpetrated by the Government.
The union said the situation had been made worse by the refusal of the Government to pay the third stage of an already agreed pay deal last year, citing financial difficulties brought about by the pandemic.
The PSA said the Government had made “every attempt to frustrate the wage negotiation process and its continued delaying tactics has created a negative atmosphere”.
In what is becoming an increasing heated debate, Minister for Public Service and Administration, Senzo Mchunu accused the PSA of grandstanding and posturing.
Mr Mchunu said the PSA had been undermining the collective bargaining process by making allegations that it was excluded from the facilitation process.
Unions are to square off against the Government at the Constitutional Court in August to challenge its failure to pay the agreed increase last year.
Pretoria, 20 May 2021
