Johannesburg - Public Service and Administration Minister Richard Baloyi was scheduled to meet with union leaders on Wednesday evening in an attempt to avert a national strike.
"He was in Kampala, Uganda and he is on his way back home. He is treating the situation as a matter of urgency," said Baloyi's spokesperson Dumisani Nkwamba.
"He will meet with the leaders of the unions tonight (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday) morning as part of an effort to avert a
national strike," he told Sapa.
Nkwamba said the government would table a revised offer at a meeting scheduled to take place on Thursday afternoon.
The SA Democratic Teachers' Union said on Wednesday it would give the government another seven days to produce a better wage
offer before teachers started striking.
The state was offering a 6.5% increase and a housing subsidy of R620 per month. The unions want 8.6% and a R1 000 housing subsidy.
The Public Servants Association (PSA) was already planning to go ahead with a strike on Thursday by its 210 000 members.
The Congress of SA Trade Unions represents about 56% of the unionised employees in the public service. Together with the Independent Labour Caucus, that amounts to 1.3 million public service employees.
- Sapa