Unions and government set to talk

Johannesburg - Public sector unions and the government are scheduled to meet for another round of wage talks in Pretoria on Thursday evening, a unionist said.
  
"The meeting will start at 18:00 at the PSCBC (public service coordinating bargaining council) in Centurion," said Fikile Majola, general secretary of the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers' Union.
  
Speaking on behalf of the eight Cosatu-affiliated public sector unions, Majola told Sapa in a telephonic interview that they hoped
the government would table a new offer.
  
"We will all be part of the meeting and we are hoping for a revised offer," said Majola.
  
His sentiments were echoed by Manie de Clercq of the Public Servants' Association (PSA), who said if the government did not table a "substantially" improved offer, their position would remain unchanged.
  
"The PSA hopes the employer will make a good offer that we can take back to our member to consider."
  
Public service and administration department spokesman Dumisani Nkwamba had earlier said the government's approach to the meeting was to find a way to prevent a "full-blown" national strike.
 
"...We would not want to see a full-blown national strike. Our approach as government is that we should find a way to prevent
that."
  
Members of the Congress of SA Trade Unions and the Independent Labour Caucus went on strike this week to demand better wages.
  
The unions last week rejected the government's revised wage offer of a seven percent increase and a R630 housing allowance, as
well as a 1.5% fixed pay progression. Workers were demanding an 8.6% wage increase and a R1 000 housing allowance, backdated to April 1.

- Sapa