Unions threaten ‘total shutdown’ of South Africa over wage fight
Public-sector unions have threatened to embark on mass action as part of an ongoing fight with the government around wage hikes.
The latest threat comes after the Constitutional Court ruled that the unions’ application to appeal against a Labour Court of Appeal (LAC) ruling in December was unlawful.
The court has directed that the application for leave to appeal will now only be heard on 24 August 2021.
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) said it was concerned by this decision, as the matter ‘must be resolved as soon as possible.’
It raised further concerns that the Constitutional Court’s ruling will be used by the government to delay the bargaining processes for 2021/2022.
“As Nehawu, we will not tolerate any more delays and our National Executive Committee (NEC) directed provinces to convene members meetings to brief members on the progress of the negotiations, to get a fresh mandate and including starting preparations for mass action.
“The union remains committed to fighting until the bitter end to defend its members and workers against the onslaught by our democratically elected government.”
Reuben Maleka, assistant general manager of the Public Servants Association of South Africa, echoed these concerns and told Business Day that members were prepared to shut down the country if the government failed to respond to demands.
“If the employer does not respond favourably to our demands, I foresee a total shutdown of the public service. In fact, that’s where it’s going to go because of the attitude that the employer has adopted,” he said.
Cutting the wage bill
The government’s fiscal strategy over the next three years is to narrow the deficit and stabilise the debt-to-GDP ratio, Treasury said in its budget on 24 February.
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