Public Service Unions want the implementation of 7% or there is no agreement

2 June 2015

Organised labour in the PSCBC is dismayed and deeply angered by the provocative behaviour of the Department of Public Service and Administration that has been wickedly attempting to cheat the workers out of their increase using deceitful methods.

This follows Circular 1 of 2015 of the DPSA on the implementation of the salary adjustment for public service personnel.

In the circular the employer is directing Departments to implement a 6.4% salary adjustment instead of the 7% which has been agreed to.

This is because of the alleged overpayment of 0.6% in the salary adjustment for 2014/15.

This as they argue is because of the actual inflation figures issued by National Treasury at 5.6% which is lower that the projected 6.2% which was used to adjust the salaries.

We condemn this.

This is underhanded in the extreme and will totally destroy the little trust left from the negotiation process where the employer repeatedly changed agreed positions.

We view this as an attack on the collective bargaining process. We find this latest approach abominable and confrontational to say the least, because the employer has no business attempting to link a lapsed agreement with a new one.

When parties left the negotiations on 19 May, there was a complete meeting of minds that employees would be receiving a salary adjustment of 7% with effect from 1 April 2015, irrespective of what previous agreements might have determined.

We out rightly reject the employer interpretation. Labour are of the firm view that 2012-2015 agreement has no effect to this current agreement.

Failure to implement the 7% as agreed will leave labour with no option but to withdraw from the entire agreement.

We find it regrettable that the employer is sabotaging service delivery by deceitfully trying to cheat the workers out of their increase.

An unhappy and de-motivated workforce is not good for the country and service delivery.

Statement issued by Mugwena Maluleke on behalf of the COSATU Public Service Unions, June 2 2015