The Department of Public Services and Administration has been granted an injunction to prevent the National Education Health Workers Union (Nehawu) from joining the ‘indefinite’ strike scheduled for Monday 6 March 2023.
The DPSA said it received a strike notice from the health workers and educators union on February 24, 2023.
“The government respects the rights of trade unions to organize and the rights of members to initiate peaceful and lawful protests, including pickets and strikes,” the department said in a statement.
“This is the commitment of the government to ensure that the rights are fought for in a way that does not interfere with the delivery of services, especially in the case of essential services such as health,” he said.
Also read: ‘We barely have enough money to work’ – Public workers protest 3% pay rise
DPSA said that “matters of mutual interest” can still be resolved during the process of joint negotiations in a suitable forum established for that purpose.
“Government will continue to call on all unions to return to the Chamber of Negotiations to negotiate and resolve issues through dialogue,” he said.
Last month, public officials went to the National Treasury office in Pretoria for the second time this year to protest against a 3% wage increase imposed without union consensus.
Protesters from Nehawu, the SA Police Union, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) and Cosatu say the government is still in debt from 2020.
“After the public sector cuts in 2020/21 and 2021/22, in the current financial year 2022/23, employers still expect us to receive an outrageous 3% wage increase,” the union said on its website.
Also read: Cosatu, Saftu ready to strike, but main union PSA won’t join
“But this is a financial year when the cost of living is rising as inflation hit a 13-year record high of 7.8% in July last year and remains above 7%,” Nehawu added.
One of Cosatu’s largest affiliates – the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu), and its affiliated union Fedusa (Federation of South African Unions), did not support the strike action, although it took place last year.
The affiliate now says it is ready to move forward and begin discussions on the 2023/24 settlement.
Compiled by Narissa Subramoney and additional reporting by Marizka Coetzer
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