Business Day
*Public sector unions to issue ultimatum* *Luphert Chilwane, Business Day, Johannesburg, 10 August 2010*PUBLIC sector unions are to hand Public Service and Administration Minister Richard Baloyi an ultimatum today to respond to their wage demands to avert an indefinite strike this week.
About 1,3-million public servants affiliated to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the Independent Labour Caucus of politically nonaligned unions are expected to join marches and demonstrations today in Cape Town, Pretoria and other cities.
The strike --- which teachers, nurses, police officers and public administrators are expected to join --- is expected to affect schools and hospitals, while leaving government departments on skeleton staff and dealing a blow to the country's economy.
Sizwe Pamla, spokesman for the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, said yesterday that it expected the government to respond to demands within 24 hours. "There should be a move both in wage offer and housing allowance. Failing to do so would result in ... an indefinite strike this week."
He said workers would report for work tomorrow while awaiting the government's response.
The unions rejected a revised offer of a 7% wage increase, up from 6,5%, and a monthly housing allowance of R630, which the government made last week.
Unions seek an 8,6% increase and a R1000 housing allowance .They are also demanding that the finance and other relevant ministers join the negotiations.
"We have invited relevant ministers to come and participate in the negotiations and expect that their involvement would bring some changes," Mr Pamla said.
Fidel Hadebe, spokesman for the Department of Health, said if the strike went ahead, the department would refer patients "in need of urgent healthcare" to hospitals less severely affected.
"We have moral and legal obligations to provide services. As we did in the past, we will refer patients to other hospitals.
"We might even consider a working partnership with the private health institutions," he said.
Education spokesman Granville Whittle said the strike would have a negative effect, especially for matric pupils who would be writing final examinations in just two months' time.
Mr Baloyi said last week that union demands were stretching the government's wage bill, and the wage demands were well ahead of inflation. He said the total amount budgeted for personnel-related expenses this fiscal year was R23,5bn. Meeting union demands would require an extra R3,7bn .
If the unions accepted the revised offer, he said, an employee on the minimum salary level would earn R4993 before deductions, while a teacher with a four-year qualification on the minimum notch would earn R13620.
Steven Friedman, director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Johannesburg, said unions expected more from the government than they did of private companies.
"Government does not have much experience in dealing with bargaining issues ... the unions feel that it has to be sympathetic to workers," he said.
Cosatu's general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, is expected to speak to workers in Cape Town before a march to Parliament today .
Meanwhile, the Independent Labour Caucus yesterday again indicated its willingness to find a solution to the impasse in the public sector wage dispute.
In a letter to be handed to Mr Baloyi today, chairman Chris Klopper said the government's revised offer of a 7% wage increase was not regarded as a reasonable offer, especially when compared with settlements concluded in sectors where the state had a direct interest.
These included the South African Revenue Service and weather services employees, who had received 8 %.
These entities were fully fledged components of state departments, and no reason whatsoever existed for them to be dealt with more favourably, he said.
Also, the South African Local Government Association had settled on increases of 10%-13%. Local authorities were second-tier government components and funded directly by the fiscus.
Eskom workers had received 9% and a R1500-a-month housing allowance, Transnet workers 11%, and universities had given increases of 8%-8,5%.
"We submit that in the event that you deem the carry-through effect of an increase to be excessive, the principle of a nonpensionable allowance should also be considered as it would reduce the cost implication by approximately 21,3%.
"The possible consolidation thereof to pensionable status can always be considered at a later stage," Mr Klopper said. Additional reporting by Sapa
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