THE government has warned its essential services employees including teachers, police and maintenance workers against joining the ongoing strike and pickets by public servants.
The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has also notified state workers that they will not be paid if they join the strike. On Thursday, the Public Servants Association (PSA) commenced its indefinite strike over the government’s failure to increase its workers’ salaries.
Wage negotiations have deadlocked at the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) over the government’s offer of a 3% pay hike and a non-pensionable cash allowance of at least R1 000 a month, which Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana described as in the best interest of the fiscus and public service workers.
Godongwana maintained that the government’s decision to unilaterally implement the increase was not undermining the collective bargaining process. However, the PSA said the move was ill-advised.
“The employer is prepared to do everything in its power to force the offer down workers’ throats. Members need to understand that the employer is unleashing the plan to destroy unions, which will leave workers exposed and vulnerable. Public servants are not valued by this government,” the union claimed.
In a letter to all heads of government departments this week, DPSA director-general Yoliswa Makhasi said members of the PSA have a right to take part in the strike action but that this excluded public servants rendering an essential or maintenance service, whose disputes may be dealt with through compulsory arbitration.
“Participation of those members rendering an essential or maintenance service in the strike will constitute misconduct. These employees rendering essential or maintenance services may also not participate in any picketing during working hours,” Makhasi warned.
She said the principle of “no work, no pay” must be strictly applied by departments and include the absence of a full day as well as part of a working day. Makhasi warned that departments that do not affect the deductions will violate the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act for fruitless and irregular expenditure.
"The ‘no work, no pay' principle must be strictly and timeously enforced. In other words, deductions must be effected in the month of the strike action (if possible) but not later than the next month,” she added.
According to Makhasi, during the strike, leave should strictly be managed, no leave should be granted unless under extreme and compelling situations and it should only be granted under regulations but not to take part in strike action.
She urged government departments to put the necessary processes, procedures and contingency strike management plans to effectively deal with the impact of the strike action. Cosatu affiliates, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union and the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, as well as the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA, which is affiliated to the Federation of Unions of SA, received the outcome of their dispute with the government over the salary increases from the PSCBC.