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The unions filed a dispute in the labor court months ago after the government breached a wage agreement with workers that was due to be implemented in April.
FILE: Cosatu members on strike in Pretoria on October 7, 2020. Image: Abigail Javier / EWN.
JOHANNESBURG – Public sector unions have rejected the government’s request to return to the bargaining table and waive Wednesday’s court hearing on pay increases.
The unions filed a dispute in the labor court months ago after the government breached a wage agreement with workers that was due to be implemented in April.
READ MORE: The government appeals to the unions to support the postponement of the judicial hearing on salary increase
But on the eve of the hearing, the government wrote to the workers’ representatives saying that it would present a settlement offer.
In its letter on Tuesday, the government said it was exploring the possibility of resolving the wage dispute with all unions in the Public Sector Negotiations Coordinating Council.
However, the five public sector unions involved in the court case have poured cold water on this suggestion.
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They point out that to date, there has not been a formal settlement offer despite the fact that on November 20 he approached the government asking for one.
Furthermore, they challenge the government’s claim that there is a realistic prospect of resolving the dispute and add in their response to state attorneys that this is inaccurate.
The Public Officials Association, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, and the Democratic Teachers Union of SA joined others in filing an application with the Labor Court in June after it became clear that the state would not increase the workers’ wages despite agreeing to do so in 2018.
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