Durban – The Public Servants Association (PSA) are continuing lunch time pickets and plan to hold protests at government events as they want to turn up the pressure on government to meet their wage demands.
PSA said that in the wake of the government’s failure to respond to public servants’ call for a decent salary increase, it had commenced with lunch-hour picketing in October.
“This was followed by a nationwide strike on 10 November 2022 where the PSA issued the government with an ultimatum to respond to the union’s demands within seven days or face intensified actions.”
PSA added that as expected, the government responded negatively to the memorandum.
“The government indicated that it regards the 2022/23 salary negotiations as concluded and encourages unions to table new demands to commence with negotiations for 2023/24.
“Government is also not filling more than 48 000 public-service vacancies, despite the high rate of unemployment and a growing population, leaving its employees over-burdened. In addition, it wants to retrench more employees, confirming the PSA’s conclusion that the government is uncaring and irresponsible.”
PSA said that the union joined other unions in a march on November 22 where, once again, a memorandum of demands was handed to the government.
“No response to this memorandum was received within the stipulated seven-day time frame. Public servants are subjected to poor working conditions, diminishing benefits, dysfunctional working tools, inadequate human resources, and poor security. They are also increasingly suffering financially owing to the rising cost of living and stagnant salaries.”
PSA added that the union will thus continue intensifying pressure on the government to highlight these workers’ plight.
“Lunch-hour picketing at various institutions across the country continues, especially targeting service departments. The PSA will further not proceed with negotiations for 2023/24 until the 2022/23 impasse is resolved. Meetings are being convened to mobilise members for various actions. These include protest action in Cape Town, as the seat of Parliament, on 9 December 2022. Plans are further under way for protest action at the upcoming ANC congress in December 2022 in view of the attack on collective bargaining by certain ministers.”
The union added that protests at major government events are also being planned.
“In addition, PSA members will refuse to perform unpaid overtime work to force the government to fill vacancies. Public servants’ anger has reached an uncontrollable level and they are prepared for indefinite strike action. Workers are prepared to fight fire with fire and bring the country to a standstill.”