Compiled by Finn Finneran
Sept. 22 (AGR) -- South African public workers, who on Sept.
16 staged one of the country’s biggest strikes in a decade, postponed
a wave of protests set to begin Sept. 20 after the government offered
a slightly better wage deal.
800,000 public sector workers, including eight public sector unions,
participated in the strike. The strike included teachers, nurses, police
officers and prison wardens, many of whom marched in towns across South
Africa, rejecting a 6 percent pay offer from the government and demanding
a 7 percent rise.
Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi
originally said the government simply did not have any more money to
offer.
“You go tell Fraser-Moleketi that she can take her six percent
and give it to her dogs,” a labor relations officer told the AFP
news agency.
“The turnout has been overwhelming, extremely heavy,” said
South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) official Steve Moropane
on Sept. 16. “It went beyond our expectations,” he told AFP
news agency.
The BBC’s Richard Hamilton in Pretoria says that teachers are the
most embittered group as they have not had a pay review since 1996.
Many schools were closed, as teachers have mostly followed the strike
call.
The unions complain that public sector employees are underpaid with
the average gross salaries of police officers, teachers and nurses standing
at around $760 per month.
South Africa has about 1.1 million public servants, of which 990,000
are union members, and there are fears the strike could cost as much
as $30 million.
On Sept. 20 the government offered a 6.2 percent wage increase, which
the unions regarded as a victory, but said that the decision to take
the offer rested with their members.
Overall, unions had demanded a 7 percenty salary increase, an “equitable”
housing allowance, and medical aid for all public sector workers.
National Health & Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) spokesman Moloantoa
Molaba said that over the next two days (Sept. 20 and 21) members would
be consulted to get a mandate to sign a new draft proposed settlement
agreement. “This will mean workers will not be at work all the
time ... the employer must not treat this as a strike, but allow workers
to attend big meetings and report-back rallies for the purpose of concluding
issues relating to the public service dispute.”
The one-day strike on Sept. 16 follows union rejection of a $4.29 billion
pay package and is the latest stage in a dispute which began in April
this year.
The row began with the government’s offer of a 4.4 percent wage
rise for 2004, far lower than the union’s 12 percent demand. Both
sides altered their positions in June, with the government raising its
offer to 5.5 percent and unions lowering their demand to 7percent.
Mass protests earlier this month in central Johannesburg prompted the
government to offer a new three-year deal. Under this new deal, the
government had offered a 6 percent increase for 2004, plus a one percent
performance-related pay rise. Workers would get a pay rise in line with
inflation for 2005 and 2006.
Unions have refused this latest deal in the past, wanting a 7percent
rise this year and the right to negotiate above-inflation rises for
the following two years.
“We think public servants have sent out a very clear message to
the government that they are extremely unhappy. The strike was a huge
success,” said Public Servants Association General Manager Anton
Louwrens.
Sources: AFP, AllAfrica.com, BBC
