Public service unions promise complete shutdown if govt does not meet wage demands

• Unions have said if the government does not meet their demands, a nationwide shutdown may become volatile.
• Saftu, Fedusa, Cosatu and other unions embarked on a national strike against a 3% wage increase for public servants.
• Acting Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxesi received a memorandum of their demands outside National Treasury on Tuesday. 

Unions cannot guarantee a national shutdown will not descend into chaos. 

On Tuesday, the SA Federation of Trade Unions, Federation of Unions SA and Cosatu embarked on a national protest against the government's 3% baseline wage offer for public servants.

In Gauteng, protesters handed over a memorandum of understanding to Acting Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxesi.

Unions have given the government seven days to respond to their demands, or the protests will continue and end in a shutdown on 2 December.

The unions want a 10% increase or a resumption of negotiations with the government.

Public Servants Association of SA chief negotiator John Teffo said he had little hope the government would meet their demands. 

"We will have to wait and see after the seven days are up. 

"I can't guarantee that the 2 December won't be volatile because we cannot control the anger of our members. They are ready for an indefinite strike."

Joining the protest were members from the SACP, Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA, National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union, Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, SA Policing Union, Public Servants Association of South Africa, National Union of Public Service, Allied Workers and environmental groups like Greenpeace.

Cosatu leaders took to the stage, telling protesters more than 20 unions were involved in the protest, with 800 000 members.

"[Government] owes us three years' salary [increase].

"We are giving government seven days to give us an increase and improve our wages offer [or else] we will paint Johannesburg and Tshwane red."

It said the government had offered a 7.5% wage increase instead of 10% but gave them a blanket increase of 3%.

"We say bring back the 7.5% [increase]. We're not crazy. Were' not going to say no to 7.5%.

"Never in our history, since the democratic breakthrough in 1994, have we seen such level of attacks on bargaining and workers' rights in the manner we are being exposed to daily today. 

"We condemn the current stance of government to unilaterally impose to workers the 3% adjustment which majority of our members rejected. 

READ | 'Warning shot': Unions give govt a week to save wage talks before they double down

"The working class and the poor of this country on a daily basis have to contend with the devastating crisis of the cost of living. 

"Today … marks a significant convergence of a unified collective force on the picket lines. The three federations and their affiliates converge towards a single outcome to bring the employer to their knees. We are determined to rally all public servants behind our cause. 

"We are gathered here to express, on behalf of thousands of workers and ordinary people, anger, frustration, and united solidarity against the horrifying conditions we are all faced with."

The memorandum makes the following demands:

• The government committing to implement the resolution signed at the (Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council), including Resolution 1 of 2018 (Agreement on the salary adjustments and improvements in conditions of service for the period 2018 to 2021).
• A reversal of austerity measures that are targeted at the public sector as a whole.
• The government must protect the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council as a legitimate institution for social dialogue.
• A real increment of 10% that will assist to retain the buying power of the public servants.
• Permanent employment of reservists, community health workers, comm-serves and teaching assistants.
• The filling of all vacant posts funded or not and the reversal of a "subtle moratorium" introduced by the state.
• The insourcing of all outsourced services which in the main "are owned by politicians".
• The immediate implementation of the 2022 resolutions of the Public Service Summit.
• The implementation of all outstanding resolutions concluded in all the sectors in the public service.
• The immediate declaration and enforcement of a moratorium on retrenchments and job losses in the public interest to halt the job loss calamity
• The immediate review of the cost of contracting in the state through procurement spending of goods and services.

Nxesi received the memorandum but was not given the opportunity to address the crowd.