Johannesburg - Public Service Unions (PSU) seem fragmented in the current wage talks with the government, with two unions linked to the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) and the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) declaring a dispute.
The Star understands that the Public Service Association (PSA) was not even part of the facilitation process that some unions have been participating in over the past few weeks.
The public service unions and the SA Police Union (Sapu) are due for conciliation and arbitration with the government this week, while the rest are expected to report back to the facilitators over the 1.5% wage offer from the government on June 4.
The Star understands that Sapu cannot go on strike because the police are regarded as an essential service.
PSA spokesperson Reuben Maleka said the association was negotiating with a mandate from its members. He said the union had no faith in the facilitation process in which Cosatu unions were participating.
“Sapu has their conciliation a day after ours. I don’t know what the Cosatu unions are doing. We are more concerned about our process and we know that the employer is prepared to talk to us under conciliation,” Maleka said.
He said the public service unions were not clear on the offer that the government had made in the facilitation process. He added that the mandate from workers was more important than negotiating as a collective.
“The fact is we operate with different mandates but our members felt we cannot keep talking to the employer without getting anything, hence we declared a dispute,” Maleka said.
He said despite criticism from Cosatu unions that the PSA would fail to pull off industrial action, he believed that workers would support a strike called by the unions.
“The strike is in the hands of the workers. This strike is not about one union. We know that workers want to go on strike, they are talking to us,” Maleka said.
He said unions were asking the government to take into consideration the needs of workers and the effort they have put in carrying out their duties, even during the pandemic.
“We can’t talk about what they are offering because it’s not an offer. If you look at inflation, you can’t talk about 1.5%. We want robust fair engagement.”
Cosatu’s spokesperson on the negotiations, Mugwena Maluleke, said the unity of workers was important in securing a good wage deal.
“We are in facilitations as the majority unions and we have said the PSA ... are weakening the employees. This is not the first time they are doing this,” Maluleke said.
The Department of Public Service and Administration declined to comment in view of the sensitive nature of the talks. Cosatu unions are asking for an increase of inflation plus 4% and an increase in the housing allowance for public servants. There is also a proposal for a day-care facility where public servants can leave their children.
The Star