Rocky start to public service pay talks

Pretoria - Public Service wage negotiations are set for a troubled start, a report says.

The current multi-term wage agreement for public servants ends on 31 March next year. Parties in the Public Service co-ordinating bargaining council (PSCBC), including the Public Servants Association (PSA), are set to start wage negotiations in the 2015/16-financial year. Most demands tabled to open the negotiation process were met with blunt disregard by the state as employer.

PSA deputy general manager, Manie de Clercq, said: "While the core demands are for a 15% across-the-board increase, the employer offers a multi-term salary agreement of 5% for each of the three years effective from 1 April of each year and lapsing in the 2017/18-financial year.

"According to the employer, public servants should be aware of the dire position of the South African economy and should not expect a larger increase than that contained in the offer."

Leave negotiations

The PSA, the second largest union in the Public Service, represents more than 220 000 members and is a key stakeholder in negotiations.

Labour’s demands were met to a very limited extent, while some were ignored completely. These demands include the equalisation of the medical subsidy for open schemes; an improved bursary scheme; collapsing of salary levels 1 to 3 and an improvement in maternity and paternity leave.

De Clercq said: “The employer’s offer is malicious and insulting. The employer reneged on a number of issues that had been agreed to earlier.

“Labour decided not to engage on the contents of the offer and to leave the negotiations.

"The PSA has advised the employer to return with an improved offer to the next meeting, scheduled for 12 December.”