Million+public+sector+workers+set+to+strike,+Amy+Musgrave,+Weekender

Business Day Weekender, Johannesburg, 12 May 2007
=A million public sector workers set to strike=


 * AMY MUSGRAVE**

UNIONS representing nearly a million public sector workers threatening to go on strike have presented a united front, saying a date for downing tools will be announced next week.

This follows indications that some unions not aligned to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) are prepared to accept less than the 12% wage increase in order to avert taking industrial action.

The unions held a meeting in Centurion on Friday to thrash out the way forward as the need for maximum unity is crucial if the strike against the government’s revised 6% offer is to have optimum impact.

Shireen Pardesi, vice-chairwoman of the labour caucus in the public service coordinating bargaining council, said the unions had committed themselves to a joint programme of action ahead of the strike and a date for the mass action would be announced next week.

Manie de Clercq, who chairs the independent labour caucus in the bargaining council, confirmed a strike date would be announced next week.

He said some unions had not yet started canvassing their members on the strike, while others were in the process. De Clercq’s Public Service Association, one of the largest unions, representing around 200000 members, would apparently state its position by the end of next week.

“All unions are now in the process of mobilising our membership at all levels and consulting them on taking strike action,” the unions said in a joint statement.

“The biggest public service strike in a decade seems to be unavoidable. Close to a million workers will be taking to the streets to express their disgust at an offer of an ‘increase’ that in reality is no increase at all.

“The meeting expressed anger that the government, elected mainly by the workers and the poor, is refusing to take seriously the desperate poverty in which most of our members struggle to exist, while performing vital services to our communities.

“A 6% increase will widen, rather than narrow, the yawning chasm between SA’s poor majority and super-rich minority.”

They said while they were mobilising for the strike, they would respond positively to any genuine offer by the government to reopen negotiations on a significantly improved offer.

However, government chief negotiator Kenny Govender said that the government had made the last move in wage negotiations, and that the ball was now in labour’s court.

The government had revised its initial offer by 0,7% from 5,3%.


 * From: http://www.businessday.co.za/weekender/article.aspx?ID=BD4A460197**

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