Transnet workers gather during a strike in Cape Town, South Africa, Oct. 13, 2022. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)
South Africa's public servants on Monday said they would be going on a strike in the next seven days following a salary disagreement with the government.
JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's public servants on Monday said they would be going on a strike in the next seven days following a salary disagreement with the government.
The Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) issued a statement on Monday saying they have reached a deadlock with the government on their salary demands. The PSA said public servants' salaries have been negatively affected by petrol, food, electricity, and interest rate increases.
A fuel pump meter at a fuel station indicates the price of 95 octane petrol in Piektberg, South Africa, on March 3, 2022. Fuel prices in South Africa have seen an increase due to local and international factors, including the rise in crude oil prices. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)
"The PSA thus filed the notice to strike on October 24, 2022 after exhausting all options possible to resolve the wage negotiation impasse and hitting a brick wall owing to the government's arrogance and disregard of workers' plight throughout the negotiations. Effectively, the PSA's members will have the right to strike seven days after filing the notice," said the PSA in a statement.
The PSA, which represents over 235,000 public sector employees, said the government introduced austerity measures and suspended their salary increment for three years.
"The strike could not be avoided as, despite all attempts by the PSA together with other unions to demonstrate a willingness to negotiate, the employer failed to cooperate," the PSA said, adding that the PSA's members, after considering the events, voted in favor of strike action as they realized that all other options were exhausted. It further said that their commitment to service delivery, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, was "rewarded" with the tabling of a zero percent salary increase offer. ■
