Unions: Sort out sticky issues

Johannesburg – Public sector trade unions indicated on Monday they could accept the latest wage offer as it stands - if the government makes a commitment to sort out two issues before the next bargaining session.

“We have suspended the strike in order to go back and engage the employer about the sticky issues remaining in the offer,” Ezra Ramasehla, president of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation SA (Naptosa), told Fin24.com.

Naptosa is one of nineteen unions which have “suspended” their three-week strike action. The unions demanded an 8.6% wage increase and a R1 000 monthly housing allowance.

The “sticky issues” are the implementation date of government’s offer of a 7.5% wage increase and R800-a-month housing allowance, as well as the unions’ demands for an equal employer contribution across the board.

“Although our demand is for 8.6%, the current offer could be accepted as it is,” said Ramasehla.

“We could, as labour, see if we can accept the current package if the government agrees to backdate it to April. The government also needs to agree to the equalisation of medical aid contributions.”

Government makes a larger contribution to members of the Government Employees Medical Scheme (Gems).

Ramasehla said labour would be willing to accept the current offer if the employer can commit to addressing these issues before the start of the next bargaining round next year.

Asked if the unpaid wages during the strike would affect trade union members, Ramasehla said even though his members cannot afford the docked wages “we will have to live with it as it is the law. Not one of our members can afford to lose three weeks’ wages.”

However, the strike was a sacrifice “we had to make”.

Suspending the strike was also not an acknowledgement that it was losing support.

“There has been a change on the government’s attitude,” said Ramasehla.

He said the government dropped its “arrogant attitude” and came to the negotiating table in good faith.

Earlier, the unions had boasted of their “victory” in moving the employer from an initial budgeted increase of 5.2% to the current 7.5%.

“This economy is growing, but will only be beautiful when it pays workers well,” said SA Democratic Teachers’ Union president Thobile Ntola.

In a joint statement, the nineteen public sector trade unions said they were going to engage and will make a decision on whether to accept the current offer within 21 days.

“We have not called off the strike, we have suspended it and we will engage and make a decision in the next 21 days,” said Ntola, speaking on behalf of all the unions.

They couldn’t, however, say what took them a whole week to come to a decision to only “suspend” the strike.

- Fin24.com