Johannesburg – A majority of the public service co-ordinating bargaining council (PSCBC) unions have demanded an improved offer not later than Friday, 17 March 2023, following a 7% increase offer from government.
The unions made up of the affiliated public sector unions from the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) and the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu), released a joint statement calling for the Department of Public Service and Administration to table an improved offer.
“The PSCBC unions are calling for the Department of Public Service and Administration to come back to the Council on 17 March 2023 with an improved offer.
“The unions held a meeting and resolved to push the government to come up with an improved offer as any further delay of the negotiations would prejudice the entire public service,” reads the statement.
The unions held a meeting aimed at expressing their grave concern over what they called the “deliberate distortion of facts by the media about the quality and drive of the 2023/24 negotiations, given that the strike by some unions in the public service was not about the 2023/24 round of negotiations but was about the 2022/23 dispute”.
“This deliberate distortion is meant to credit those who boycotted the negotiations,” the unions said.
The concerns by the unions were further fuelled by utterances from the Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, during a press conference on Thursday where she stated that the majority of the unions in the public sector had signed an agreement to end the strike and settle the 2022/23 wage deal.
“To set the record straight, the majority of the unions in the public sector didn’t embark on strike action, nor did they boycott the negotiations processes.
“The settlement between DPSA and the striking unions correctly stated in paragraphs 1.21 and 1.2.2, that the unions (meaning those who boycotted) will be joining, and secondly that they are not part of the current negotiations,” they said.
The unions have also further called out the media for their disservice of running a narrative that those who are still to join the negotiations are the ones that have secured the 7% offer when it was Fedusa-affiliated unions and Sadtu which demanded the improved offer.
“Facts cannot be tortured and manipulated to legitimise lies,” warned the unions.
Lastly, a decision and agreement was reached to send a stern warning to the government to respond by yesterday (Friday) and not to take unions for granted as that wouldn’t be tolerated, during the meeting by the unions.
IOL