Public sector unions to STRIKE over wages [video]

Public sector unions have announced their intention to serve the government with a seven-day notice to strike on 22 February.

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SEVERAL UNIONS WANTS TO WITHDRAW THEIR LABOUR

Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU), National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), and several other sectors on Thursday called a media briefing at the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council offices in Centurion.

Here they emphasised their rejection of the wage offer from the government, and their decision to withdraw their labour.

Last year, in a move that labour has described as “arrogant”, the government implemented a unilateral baseline 3%, wage hike, plus R1 000 cash allowance.

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DENOSA PRESIDENT ON THE MATTER

Nursing union Denosa’s president Simon Hlungwani said the unions plan to inform the employer on 22 February, as it’s clear they are acting in bad faith.

The affected unions say they will also ask workers to stage a picket outside Cape Town city hall on the same day when Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is expected to deliver his budget speech.

“We have already started engaging our members to revive the mandate, mobilise and ballot them for the strike action. We will be convening town base meetings, meetings with progressive community organisations to explain our program and also, to make the public aware of the plight of our members and the impact of the austerity measures in service delivery.”

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CALLS FOR DEMONSTRATIONS AT NATIONAL TREASURY OFFICES

They’ve also called for demonstrations at National Treasury’s offices in Pretoria.

“We will on the days where the Minister of Finance and the MECs of Finance are presenting their budget speeches picket outside the venues as part of our rejection of austerity measures and the implementation of neo-liberal policies,” Hlungwani added.