THE SOUTH African president has ordered ministers to return to the negotiation table with striking unions to find a way to end the public sector’s ongoing industrial action, which will enter its third week tomorrow.
Jacob Zuma’s decision yesterday to force the key players back into talks comes as workers from different industries, including the water and tyre-making sectors, said they would also join the mass action for increased wages later in the week.
The strike, which has involved sometimes violent protests and pickets, has already closed many schools nationwide and forced the defence ministry to deploy army medical teams to hospitals in every province to ensure they can provide essential services.
Government spokesman Themba Maseko said in a statement that negotiators were committed to finding a solution to the indefinite strike by the 1.3 million public service employees, who have refused to return to work until their wage increase demands are met. However, he refused to be drawn on whether a new offer would be tabled when representatives from both parties met last night.
“We just don’t want to say anything at this stage,” Mr Maseko said, before confirming that the minister of public service and administration, Richard Baloyi, had consulted union leaders with a view to finding a settlement.
“The government is committed to finding a solution that is acceptable to all the parties. Such a solution will be tabled at the Public Sector Co-ordinating Bargaining Council [PSCBC] for approval.
“The PSCBC will convene once the parties have found a solution, which may be as early as this evening,” he added.
The government has thus far offered a 7 per cent pay increase and a €75 equivalent monthly housing allowance – the maximum it says it can afford. The unions, led by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, say they will not accept anything less than a 8.6 per cent pay rise and a €104 allowance.
Union negotiators indicated they were unsure what would occur at the meeting, but they hoped a revised offer would be tabled.
Mr Zuma’s call for his ministers to find a solution to end the strike is as much about politics as about bringing stability back to the public sector workforce. He will rely on the unions to secure a second term in office, and the stand-off between his ministers and union leaders has damaged his relationship with them.