Cape Town - The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) believes its recent strike was “generally peaceful” despite disruptions at a number of government offices and hospitals.
The union further hailed its members for “waging a relentless struggle”.
This is after a settlement agreement was reached through a facilitation process by the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) that began last Thursday.
Nehawu announced on Wednesday that a PSCBC Special Council on wage negotiations was convened at 3pm to process the settlement agreement together with salary adjustment for the financial year 2023/24.
The PSCBC said that the parties out on strike regarding the 2022/2023 wage negotiations had settled their dispute and that unions that were outside of the bargaining process would return to the 2023/2024 wage negotiations table. PSCBC general secretary Frikkie De Bruin said: “The PSCBC has noted the ongoing strike action by Nehawu, initiated on the 6th March 2023 and the effect that this has had on service delivery across the country.
This action emanates from the outstanding dispute regarding the implementation of the previous leg 2022/2023 cost of living adjustment, on the part of the employer.
“A facilitation process was initiated as a means of breaking the impasse between parties.
“The state as the employer together with the trade unions Nehawu joined by Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union is a trade union, Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa is a trade union in South Africa and South African Policing Union deliberated on chartering a way forward.
“The robust discussions and engagements continued through the weekend and culminated in a settlement agreement,” he said.
In a statement to its members, Nehawu’s secretariat said: “Given this achievement, we wish to confirm that the union is proud and salute its members and workers for waging a relentless struggle, keeping the fierce picket lines and conducting a generally peaceful strike.
“Our members and workers have demonstrated their commitment to defend their rights and the collective bargaining, appreciating the dire implications of the persistence of this tendency in the broader public sector as well as the private sector.
“It is against this background that the union is now announcing the suspension of the public service strike.”
The union called on members and workers at the picket lines to prepare for an orderly return to work and added that its structures would be available to support and intervene in instances of victimisation or intimidation by bosses in contravention of the “spirit of the settlement agreement.”
Whilst neither the government nor trade unions disclosed the detailed terms of the agreement, De Bruin said the deal served as the conclusion of the dispute between the parties.
Cape Times