THE Joint Mandating Committee (JMC) of Cosatu, which commands the majority status at the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC), briefed the media and its members on the state of affairs following the collapse of salary negotiations in the public service.
The briefing was held at their offices in Joburg on Monday, 24 October, with representatives from various unions including the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa), the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) and South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu).
JMC convener Simon Hlungwane said they wanted to shed some light following the rejection of the last employer offer by a majority of unions in the PSCBC.
He said: “As things stand, there is no offer on the table. The decision by the employer to opt for the draft resolution falling away was confirmed in the council sitting of 3 October.
“The employer had an option to reopen the matter for discussion or negotiation, however they chose otherwise. With the offer having been withdrawn, we have now gone back to our initial demand of 10% across the board on the cost-of-living adjustment and invoked PSCBC dispute resolution mechanism.”
Hlungwane said it is now public knowledge, based on the leaked letter written to the general secretary of the PSCBC and the special council meeting of 19 October, that the employer intends to unilaterally implement the very same offer that was officially withdrawn in council.
“The collective spirit of public sector workers has always been shuffled by the blatant disregard and the continued undermining of collective bargaining by government.”
“Workers cannot tolerate any longer this unbecoming behaviour of the employer undermining social dialogue and wanting to bulldoze their way,” he said.
Hlungwane said they have declared a dispute and the conciliation is schedule for 31 October and 1 November at the PSCBC offices.
He said they will show their anger through many activities and campaigns over this period commencing with a mass picket demonstration across provinces.
“Workers have given a clear mandate to fight for improvement and we have since developed a programme of action to attain their wishes,” he said.
Meanwhile, members of the Public Servants Association (PSA) said they are geared up to commence with industrial action after government’s failure to conclude an agreement on protracted salary negotiations for the Public Service.
PSA spokesman, Reuben Maleka, said the union’s members mandated the rejection of a ridiculous and problematic offer where workers would potentially lose some R1 000 of their monthly income, leaving the PSA no choice but to embark on industrial action.
“The PSA thus filed the notice to strike on 24 October after exhausting all options possible to resolve the wage negotiation impasse and hitting a brick wall owing to government’s arrogance and disregard of workers’ plight throughout the negotiations. Effectively, the PSA’s members will have the right to strike seven days after filing the notice,” he said.
