DURBAN - The Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) says should its demand for a 10% wage increase not be met, strike action might be on the cards.
The position from the union, an affiliate of Cosatu, comes as the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) said the public service salary negotiations were continuing and there was progress as parties at the council, the state as the employer and the admitted trade unions, were engaging in a meaningful manner.
The PSCBC, a non-partisan body, said the process commenced on May 4, when labour tabled their demands that included, among others, a single-term agreement for the period 2022/2023 and a demand of a 10% increase across the board.
The employer, the PSCBC added, responded on May 19 indicating that their preference would be the continuation of the current dispensation of a cash allowance payable in terms of PSCBC Resolution 01 of 2021 for the 2022/23 financial year, as any increase on the baseline would significantly disrupt the fiscal framework.
PSCBC general secretary Frikkie de Bruin indicated that on Tuesday this week, parties reconvened to continue with negotiations.
“The employer tabled various scenarios on the possible distribution of the R20.5 billion available within the fiscal framework. These scenarios included a proposed 4.5% increase across the board, a proposed sliding scale distribution from 6% for level 1 to 3.5% for level 12 and a sliding scale scenario from 15.4% for level 1, to 1.5% for level 12,” De Bruin said.
He added that labour rejected the scenarios presented by the employer and proposed a further two scenarios for consideration based on an 8% and 9% increase on the baseline across the board.
“Both parties agreed to consider the proposals made.”
He said negotiations will continue next week.
He expressed appreciation to the parties for the manner in which they had been engaging and called for the continued commitment of all parties until an amicable agreement was attained.
However, Denosa’s Sibongiseni Delihlazo said they remained steadfast in their demand as the cost of living had risen dramatically over the past year, citing an increase in the petrol price and basic foodstuffs as a case in point.
He added that the government’s initial stance of 0% increase had angered workers. In a veiled reference to a possible strike action, Delihlazo said the government needed to demonstrate its commitment to service delivery by paying public servants a fair wage. “When you say you want to deliver a service of good quality to the public, it is equally important that the people who are at the coalface of service delivery are adequately paid,” he said.
Both Cosatu and the Federation of Unions of SA were not available for comment yesterday and were said to be busy with meetings.