Joburg - The Public Servants Association (PSA) has expressed anger at the announcement made by President Cyril Ramaphosa about the establishment of a body that will determine the salaries of public servants.
In a statement, the union said the president was aware that public servants’ salaries and other conditions of service were already negotiated and determined by a legally established body in the form of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC).
“Establishing an ‘independent body’, which is sure to come at great expense, will not only make a mockery of the country’s collective bargaining system but will render the PSCBC ineffective and obsolete,” the union said.
The union said the severe trust deficit between government and unions was one of the main contributing factors that led to the looming nationwide strike by the PSA and other unions.
“The government’s failure to implement decent salary increases for public servants is the result of years of unabated fraud and corruption, with the salary bill being made the scapegoat,” the union said.
The PSA said the president should allow properly established bodies, such as the PSCBC, to determine and agree on salaries and other terms and conditions for public servants.
“PSA calls on the president to not only clarify his statement, but to also intervene in the current impasse in the public service salary dispute to ensure that public servants, who are also taxpayers, can be afforded a decent increase,” the union said.
Tension between the PSA and the head of state is further worsened by the impasse and looming strike in the public sector wage talks.
The government had been offering workers 3%, but this has been rejected by some unions, raising the possibility of a strike.
“The trust deficit between government and unions is at an all-time low, and reckless statements such as these are aggravating the problem. The government’s failure to pay public servants their salary increases in 2020 by reneging on a negotiated three-year salary agreement has severely dented the effectiveness of collective bargaining. More statements such as these will do nothing to restore fragile collective bargaining and rebuild trust in the process,” added the union.
The Star