A number of unions in the public sector affiliated to Cosatu have accepted a pay offer from government of 2,2% above inflation, or more than 7%.
The unions under the Joint Mandating Committee (JMC) include South African Democratic Teachers Union, Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union, Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, the Public and Allied Workers Union of South Africa and the South African Medical Association.
The agreement with government follows 10 months of protracted negotiations. However, the Public Servants Association, which has 230 000 members, has not joined the deal and is set to go ahead with its strike on Monday.
“It is the 59.39-percent majority of workers under Cosatu who pushed the employer to accede to an average nominal increase of 2.2 percent above inflation for all the public servants. It is through the maturity of the Cosatu unions and other independent labour caucus unions accept the PSA who value labour unity in collectively bargaining with the employer,” says Sadtu General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke.
NOTE: The headline on this story was amended to correctly reflect that the PSA has not joined the wage deal.
