FIFI PETERS: Sticking with Transnet, I suppose it’s a extremely essential story. We’ve seen that [dissension] is rising down there in its corridors, with the unions there declaring a strike over pay – which administration has described as unlawful. The strike at Transnet, if prolonged, can have actually large ramifications on commerce, on imports, on exports, and [of course] the economic system.
Another wage deal that we have to be looking for and wage talks that we have to be following intently proper now contain the discussions which might be taking place across the public sector wage invoice. To replace us on what is going on on that entrance, I’m joined by Jannie Oosthuizen, the supervisor of labour relations on the Public Servants Association of South Africa, PSA. Jannie, thanks a lot on your time. Have you bought a very good story to inform proper now about how your negotiations with government over wages are going?
JANNIE OOSTHUIZEN: Good night Fifi, and to the listeners as effectively. Well, I don’t suppose it’s a very good story to inform, though now we have hope. We hope for a very good story. Unfortunately we couldn’t [agree with] each other. The government didn’t need to amend its offer to incorporate the safety clause of the money gratuity. At this stage there may be not a majority settlement between labour and government, and all indications are that it would find yourself in industrial motion.
FIFI PETERS: How far are you from one another?
JANNIE OOSTHUIZEN: Well, I don’t suppose we’re removed from each other. If the employer or government is critical [about giving] us a deal, and so they may accommodate our request to have a safety clause in defending the money safety behind the March 31, 2023 [agreement], we can return to our members and get a contemporary mandate as a way to most likely settle for the offer on the desk.
But at this stage government has made it clear that they aren’t keen to even look into that, and so they have tabled their remaining offer – and that’s the ultimate offer.
So actually we don’t suppose that government is critical in making certain that labour peace and stability prevail, given the financial and present state of affairs within the nation. They [would] reasonably, within the bargaining council, problem the PSA utilizing the certificates of non-resolution if [it is] not completely happy. So from the PSA aspect, we expect that it is vitally, very unlucky that government has this stance.
FIFI PETERS: Probably just a little bit extra on that, however I simply need to perceive what precisely it’s that you really want. You’ve spoken in regards to the safety of the gratuity a part of the deal. But by way of the rise in wage, what’s it that you’re in search of?
JANNIE OOSTHUIZEN: Well, at this stage the offer is 3%, a pensionable enhance, on the desk. So now we have stated if they’ll defend the money gratuity, we’d have the ability to go and promote this offer to our members.
Without the safety of that money gratuity, given the present rates of interest, it’s not possible to depend on the R1 000 money gratuity that may cease on the finish of March, the place members will likely be R1 000 out of pocket.
Actually, it’s a lot lower than R1 000, given the present rates of interest. So there’s no method, if we can’t defend that, or bolt it onto the baseline – that we can persuade our members to even think about such an offer.
FIFI PETERS: But [government is] saying proper now that the nationwide purse strings are tight. They must stroll a extremely tight fiscal rope to make sure that South Africa’s economic system doesn’t get red-flagged once more by the ranking businesses, a state of affairs that’s not going to be nice for everybody. What do you make of that and simply affordability proper now, given the truth that occasions are powerful, even for government?
JANNIE OOSTHUIZEN: Well, we do perceive that occasions are powerful for government, and we do have empathy for the government, however we should even be sincere with each other. If I come to you and say, effectively, that is all that I can offer, I can solely offer you a 3% enhance on the baseline, given the truth that in 2020 government didn’t honour even their very own settlement; they [reneged on] that settlement.
So public servants are already three years behind receiving a rise on their pensionable salaries.
So they, who’re supposed to offer service supply, who had been working via Covid, who had been frontline employees, getting the nation on the run and ensuring that every thing was up and working, are literally dealing with the brunt of the employer simply saying ‘there’s no cash’.
We as unions have even indicated to government the place there may be potential funding that they’ll take a look at. But as an alternative of that, they’ve reasonably simply determined no, there are fiscal constraints and we’re not going to look into that. It’s really an insult to government workers.
FIFI PETERS: So the place to from right here? You initially say that out of your discussions the government has dared you to easily strike, as it had been, and I simply need to perceive the place to from right here, and what is going to make you are taking that call to pursue that path?
JANNIE OOSTHUIZEN: Well, by way of the Labour Relations Act, the place processes should unfold, we as the PSA should have a certificates of non-resolution, we can provide discover. But sadly now we have not but concluded on the picketing guidelines, which is a requirement by way of Section 69 of the Labour Relations Act. The assembly is scheduled for October 11 at 10am on the Bargaining Council, as a way to see whether or not we and government can comply with picketing guidelines. After now we have an settlement on the picketing guidelines, and we begin with picketing throughout lunchtime, then we are going to assess the state of affairs and take it from there.
FIFI PETERS: We’ll take it from there, Jannie, and hopefully meet up with you for an replace on how these discussions went. So we’ll go away it there. Jannie Oosthuizen is the supervisor of labour relations on the PSA.
