While negotiations are ongoing, three police unions and the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW) said their members had rejected the government’s latest public servants’ wage increase offer of 4.75%.
This comes as Cosatu and the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) said that the latest offer was still to be presented to their members for their feedback.
The unions, as a collective, said that they want a 7.5% wage increase for public servants.
Bethuel Nkuna, Independent Policing Union of South Africa (Ipusa) president, said that they rejected the meagre 4.75% salary increase that had been offered.
“We view the proposed salary increase of 4.75% for public servants as an insult to the workers, as it fails to address the rising cost of living faced by public servants, including continuous increases in medical aid premiums, water and electricity tariffs, let alone increases in petrol and diesel prices.”
Nkuna added that they urged all workers across the public sector to vehemently reject this offer and demand a significant salary increase that was in line with the cost of living.
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary, Nthabeleng Molefe, said while the negotiating process is still ongoing, their members did not accept the 4.75%.
“What is clear is that we are not willing to accept the proposed percentage. We refuse to accept anything that is below the inflation rate, as it would be futile and regressive.”
It was reported this week that the South African Policing Union (Sapu) said that its members had rejected the government’s proposed 4.75% wage offer for public servants. Lesiba Thobakgale, Sapu’s spokesperson, told the SABC that the mandate received from members was to push for a higher increase.
Sbusiso Nkasa, Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council negotiator on behalf of NUPSAW, said that despite negotiations being ongoing, members have rejected the offer of 4.75%.
“Our stance remains that 4.75% is not acceptable, and our members want a 7.5% wage increase. We have been reasonable in that we revised our offer from 10% to 7.5%. The government was steadfast on 3% and only now has increased to 4.75 %.”
Cosatu Joint Mandating Committee convener and Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa president, Simon Hlungwani, said that both labour and government have not come up with a date for the sitting of the council where the feedback from labour would be put on the table formally.
“Because the matter is in the hands of the workers, Cosatu at this stage cannot pre-empt what the views of the members are on the offer.”
He confirmed that the government had initially offered 3%, which was increased to 4.75%. The unions had demanded 12% but had since revised the figure to 7.5%.