Unions: Members don't grasp offer

Johannesburg - Government workers rejected the latest pay offer before it was properly explained to them, union representatives say.

The coalition of public workers' unions said on Wednesday it has rejected a new pay offer from the government aimed at ending a strike by about 1.3 million workers.

"We agreed not to accept the offer, we need more time to consult our members," said an official from Cosatu, South Africa's largest labour federation.

According to National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) spokesperson Sizwe Phamla, most of the union's members rejected the offer because they had learnt about it from the media, and before they knew the details.

"We had our members who rejected the offer before we even explained it to them.

"There have been structural problems in communicating the offer to our members, and that was caused by the Minister (of Public
Service and Administration Richard Baloyi) and some of the leaders.

"We were naive in giving ourselves one day (to decide)."

The government was offering a 7.5% wage increase and a R800 monthly housing allowance. The strike entered its 15th day on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Cosatu said it was suspending a one-day sympathy strike this week by all its member unions that could have shut mines, to give state workers more time to consider the new wage offer.

That removes some of the pressure on the ANC to reach a deal fast or risk a massive labour action that could damage the economy.

The government may be hard pressed to improve its offer significantly, as it has said its latest offer is well above inflation - 3.7% in July - and it cannot afford what it has already put on the table.

This could leave union leaders with a dilemma - whether to try to persuade members to accept the offer or to press ahead with a long strike that leaves strikers without pay in pursuit of a deal that further strains state finances.

Verge of rupture

Cosatu has more than 20 affiliated unions and claims nearly 2 million members.

The Cosatu leadership, which said its alliance with the ANC was on the verge of rupture, appears to have taken a more conciliatory line since Zuma heeded its call for high-level intervention and ordered ministers to negotiate a rapid end to the strike, analysts said.

"They are turning the taps off a little, but are doing it slowly," said Sakhela Buhlungu, an expert on organised labour at the University of Johannesburg.

Cosatu has threatened a prolonged strike by all its members, including miners and factory workers, which would cripple the economy, if there is no resolution of the state workers' strike.