S. Africa: Talks To Avert Potential Strike By Civil Servants Under Way In Tshwane

Talks aimed at averting a potential strike that could cripple public services are under way in Tshwane, South Africa.

This is a last-ditch attempt by the Public Servants Association and government to find each after the conciliation process deadlocked. Unions are demanding a 7% wage increase while government is offering workers a 0% hike. The Public Servants Association and government have for weeks now been trying to resolve their differences over salaries with unions fighting government’s decision to freeze salary hikes for three years. But the unions believe that government has the capacity to pay workers more in line with a previous agreement. Should they deadlock again, the unions have said they will start the process of issuing a strike notice with more than 200,000 public sector employees expected to down tools.