The South African public sector strike was set to continue after the country’s main labour federation on Wednesday rejected a revised government offer.
“We got a report from unions and the overwhelming majority of provincial structures have rejected the government’s offer, the strike continues,” Cosatu general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi told AFP.
However the Independent Labour Caucus, one of the labour umbrellas representing the 1.3 million workers was still divided on the offer.
Chris Klopper, chairman of the ILC said his organisation was “still in the process of collecting feedback from its members on the government’s wage offer. “Were not in a position at this stage to pronounce our stance. At this stage its a 50-50… we will know by Friday what the stance is,” said Klopper.
Unions tabled the improved offer to their members after President Jacob Zuma ordered his ministers to negotiate a solution to the 15-day stoppage that has paralysed schools and hospitals.
“Unions will meet tomorrow morning (Thursday) to further discuss and assess where we are,” said Vavi.
Cosatu’s stance did not come as a surprise as earlier on Wednesday one of the biggest striking unions said it had refused the latest proposal.
“We have rejected the offer,” said Sizwe Pamla, spokesman for the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), which has 244,000 members.
Zuma’s order to break the deadlock came amid mounting pressure over the walk-out, which is now in its third week, as wage disputes spread to the private auto sector and forced an indefinite shutdown at a Volkswagen plant.
But the revised public sector offer saw sympathy strikes planned for Thursday, including at the country’s mines, called off to give civil servants time to vote on the new deal.
“The NUM would like to emphasise that this is a suspension and as such should a resolution not be found, the NUM reserves its right to strike,” said the 320,000-strong National Union of Mineworkers
The country’s main labour federation Cosatu, which lists some two million members, had called for the solidarity strikes which it suspended on Wednesday.
However it also warned that future stoppages were possible.
“The federation would however stress that this is only a suspension and our affiliated unions remain ready to take solidarity strike action in support of the public service workers if a resolution to the dispute is not reached.”
The new offer still falls short of the workers’ demand, which is more than twice the rate of inflation and which the government says will force cuts in public services that already struggle to meet demand.
The state will have to borrow money to fund its compromise offer which would cost an extra seven billion rands (950 million dollars, 747 million euros), Public Service Minister Richard Baloyi told Business Day on Wednesday.
“Obviously, we will have to borrow the money. We dragged ourselves to this point,” he told the daily.
The government revised its offer to a 7.5 percent wage increase and an 800-rand (110 dollar) housing allowance, up from its previous offer of a seven percent raise and 700 rands for housing.
Unions are demanding an 8.6 percent increase and a 1,000-rand housing allowance.
As the public sector protest drags on, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa went on strike Wednesday in the motor industry, forcing an indefinite shutdown at Volkswagen of South Africa’s plant in Uitenhage.
“The company deeply regrets this unavoidable situation,” it said, pointing to substantial loss of volume of Polo cars destined for local and foreign markets.
The state is hoping to avoid a repeat of a four-week walkout three years ago, which was the longest and most widespread strike since the end of apartheid in 1994.
From Africasia