[YCLSA Discussion] Outside facilitators needed, to avoid a public servants’ strike

[Dominic Tweedie]

Intervention may be necessary to avert public servants’ strike     Barry Bateman, Eyewitness News, Johannesburg, 6 May 2011   Public sector unions on Friday said that outside facilitators may be needed to avoid a repeat of crippling strikes seen in 2010, after negotiations with government reached a deadlock. Some 14 unions affiliated to trade unions federation Cosatu and the Independent Labour Caucus are demanding a 9 percent wage hike, while the state is offering 5.2 percent.   Unions said agreements on housing and medical aid reached in 2010 are yet to be implemented by government.    More than one million civil servants downed tools last August, disrupting schools and hospitals.  The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union’s (Sadtu) Mugwena Maluleke said employees have already lowered their demand by one percentage point.   The Independent Labour Caucus’ Chris Klopper said government has failed to honour the previous agreement.   ”The big ticket issues last year were salary adjustments, housing and medical,” he said. “What we now find is that the employer is not prepared to reach those issues.”   However, government denied that there was a breakdown in negotiations.   It has accused unions of negotiating through the media, despite agreements to keep the talks behind closed doors. “As far as we are concerned, there is no breakdown in negotiations,” said the Public Service Ministry’s Dumisani Nkwamba. “We are extremely shocked [that] a press conference was conducted by the unions.”  Unions said they hope to resolve the deadlock before the local government elections on May 18.   (Edited by Dennis Georgiannis)    From: http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=65294     -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to yclsa-eom-forum@googlegroups.com or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email yclsa-eom-forum-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): yclsa-eom-forum-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com .