THE Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) has called on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to intervene in the wage negotiations deadlock between the South African Revenue Service (Sars) and thousands of members of the Public Servants Association (PSA), a Fedusa affiliate.
Fedusa said on Friday it supported the PSA’s plan to strike after Sars refused to move from its zero percent offer for the 2022/23 round of collective bargaining between the parties, despite formally declaring that it had achieved a 25 percent increase in revenue collected in 2021/2022 compared to the 2020/2021 financial year.
Fedusa general secretary Riefdah Ajam said: “Sars’s ridiculous offer of a zero percent wage increase throughout the negotiations when the prices of basic services, food, fuel and electricity continue to increase at inflationary rates is an insult to our members. How are they expected to make ends meet in such an environment?” .
He said the zero percent offer would worsen the plight of Sars workers who had had their conditions of service changed unilaterally over three years, including the employer’s refusal to implement the final leg of a three-year wage agreement that was signed in 2019.
Ajam urged Godongwana to intervene on an urgent basis to avoid a shutdown of services at Sars, which would also affect the country’s border posts.
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