The South African government has made a new wage offer to the 1.3
million striking public servants which they hope will bring an end to
the crippling two-week strike.
A spokesman for South Africa’s Public Service and Administration Minister Richard Baloyi, said of the wage offer:
“A negotiated draft settlement offer stands as follows — a 7.5 percent salary increment and R800 monthly housing allowance.”
Asked
if this meant the strike was at its end, he replied: “We hope so. The
unions are consulting with their members and the government has called
on them to expedite the process.”
South African president Jacob
Zuma had instructed Baloyi to return to the negotiating table on Monday
morning, expressing concern that the strike was affecting mostly poor
people.
The new wage offer came after talks with unions to end the strkies continued late into the night.
Public Servants’ Association (PSA) spokesman Manie de Clercq said that the new wage offer could be taken back to their members.
“We will definitely take that to our members… we want to speed this up. We don’t want to wait another two weeks,” he said.
The South African strike has severely affected hospital and
schooling, with several provinces postponing preliminary matric exams.
Many
schools have been closed not only because of the absence of striking
teachers, but because of reports of intimidation against non-striking
teachers.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has had to help out at 58 state hospitals.
To
end the strike, the unions are demanding an 8.6 percent increase and
R1000 monthly housing allowance, and have rejected the government’s
previous offer of a seven percent increase and a R700 allowance.
