Public servants wage increase

Public sector workers shout at Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, telling him to go away in an incident last November. Alex Patrick/News24. Public ...

The minority coalition is adamant that the government had made a binding undertaking to re-open talks on the 2022/23 year in return for ending their illegal strike. The R1 000 (after tax) gratuity was a sweetener paid to public sector workers for the last two years to soften the blow of below-inflation increases. While employees got the extra cash in their pockets, the amount was not included in pensionable salaries. This includes most Cosatu public sector affiliates, except for Sadtu, and unions affiliated with other groups. The rift between the striking unions and the government also deepened last week when the majority unions and government refused the minority the opportunity to re-open 2022/23 wage negotiations in the PSCBC. The rift between trade unions in the public sector deepened on Thursday with the alliance of unions that went on strike, accusing those that did not of being sweetheart unions and of lying to workers about the 7.5% wage offer by the government.