Public servants’ wage strike took another turn on Monday (13/03) after the Labour Appeal Court of South Africa interdicted the strike by the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu). The judgment stated that the employees were restrained and prevented from continuing with any industrial action – compelling them to return to work by Tuesday.
This followed the Labour Court interdict obtained by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) and the other by the Free State Department of Health against the union and all striking employees. The interdicts were secured in the wake of the reported intimidation of non-striking workers and the crippling of health services.
The union challenged both interdicts and intensified the strike in the quest to push government to meet its demands.
Monday’s outcome abruptly halted the strike by Nehawu in certain parts of the country.
In the Free State the strike had seen approximately 13 000 of the 19 000 public servants affiliated to the union participating. Of employees who downed tools on 6 March to participate in the nationwide labour strike, nurses were in the majority.
Nehawu resorted to embarking on a strike after government and unions representing the public sector in the bargaining council came to a deadlock on a wage increase for the new financial year.
Nehawu members objected to the South African government’s proposed 4,7% increase for the 2023-’24 financial year, saying the offer was below the high costs of living.
This was despite the principle of “no work, no pay” being employed and interdicts obtained by the DPSA in the Labour Court and provincial Department of Health in the Free State High Court on 4 March and on Wednesday (08/03).
Core to the union’s demands are improved medical aid benefits, the adjustment of wages by 10%, and a R2 500 housing allowance for all public servants regardless of whether they own or do not have bonded houses.
Employees eligible for housing allowance (those renting, and homeowners) had received R1 578,37.
The union based its demands for the adjustments in salary and housing allowance on the high costs of living, which escalated with the petrol hike. The most recent petrol price increase by government was done on 1 March, by R1,27 per litre.
Adding to the high costs of living is the South African Reserve Bank’s increase of interest rates, currently at 10,75% after a 3,75% hike in January. Banks have also increased interest rates for repayment of bonds.
Regarding the government’s proposed 4,2% increase on salaries, the union stated: “A 4,2% increase on the salary of R15 000 would amount to R630. Therefore, the 4,7% offer is effectively another pay-cut – as it falls far below the current inflation rate which is at 6,9%.
“In addition, the conversion of the R1 000 cash gratuity into a 4,2% wage increase to the pensionable baseline is going to be regressive and therefore at the expense of the workers in the lower salary levels.
“In 2021-’22 the employer merely offered a non-pensionable R1 000 cash gratuity and no increase in the salary baseline.
This meant that, on average, public servants lost about 4,5% in the value of their salary as a result of inflation, which also affected salary notches and the total package of their future pension pay-outs.”
Nehawu accused the government of continuing to act in “bad faith” in wage talks in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council [PSCBC].
“In November 2022, the employer went on to unilaterally implement a 3% salary increment that was rejected by the majority unions at the PSCBC.
“The unilateral implementation of the 3% increase in the middle of the dispute represented yet another attack on the collective bargaining, as it happened to the last leg of Resolution 1 of 2018 in 2022.”
