MORE than 200000 members of the Public Servants Association (PSA) aim to bring the country to its knees when they go on strike today after they rejected the government's 6,5percent salary increase offer.
"Members will down tools from midnight in pursuit of their salary and benefits demands," PSA Western Cape manager Koos Kruger said in a statement.
Public servants were demanding an 8,6percent salary increase and a housing subsidy of R1000 effective from April 1.
PSA deputy general manager Manie de Clercq said their members would march to the Union Buildings, Premier Nomvula Mokonyane's Johannesburg offices and Parliament in Cape Town.
The government's offer included a R620 housing subsidy effective July 1.
"The fact that the government's offer to its core public sector employees is so much less than the settlement rates in other public sector institutions infuriated our members.
"The reality (is) real inflation on expenses such as electricity, food and healthcare gulps up 90percent of members' disposable income."
The situation informed their demands which were regarded as reasonable and fair in the circumstances.
"Public servants in all sectors will be participating in the strike except for our members in essential services on whom we call to act responsibly and to obey the law," Kruger said.
The PSA foresaw major disruptions to key services, especially immigration services at airports and other ports of entry, deeds offices and non-court services at the justice department, where the PSA represented the majority of employees.
Meanwhile, the country's biggest trade union federation, Cosatu, yesterday threatened "a mother of all strikes" if the government does not meet its demands.
"The unions met today [Wednesday]... we have now come to a firm conclusion to go on strike. We will serve government with a notice to strike today," Fikile Majola of Nehawu said.
The unions, representing 56 percent of the 1,3million public sector employees, included Nehawu, Sadtu, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, the SA National Defence Union, the SA Medical Association, the SA State and Allied Workers Union and the Public and Allied Workers Union of SA.
Two major marches would be held in Pretoria and Cape Town on August 10, said Majola.
"We will meet on Friday and come out with a specific programme of action on the pickets, marches and a full-blown strike," Majola said.
SA braces for crippling strike
MORE than 200000 members of the Public Servants Association (PSA) aim to bring the country to its knees when they go on strike today after they rejected the government's 6,5percent salary increase offer.
"Members will down tools from midnight in pursuit of their salary and benefits demands," PSA Western Cape manager Koos Kruger said in a statement.
Public servants were demanding an 8,6percent salary increase and a housing subsidy of R1000 effective from April 1.
PSA deputy general manager Manie de Clercq said their members would march to the Union Buildings, Premier Nomvula Mokonyane's Johannesburg offices and Parliament in Cape Town.
The government's offer included a R620 housing subsidy effective July 1.
"The fact that the government's offer to its core public sector employees is so much less than the settlement rates in other public sector institutions infuriated our members.
"The reality (is) real inflation on expenses such as electricity, food and healthcare gulps up 90percent of members' disposable income."
The situation informed their demands which were regarded as reasonable and fair in the circumstances.
"Public servants in all sectors will be participating in the strike except for our members in essential services on whom we call to act responsibly and to obey the law," Kruger said.
The PSA foresaw major disruptions to key services, especially immigration services at airports and other ports of entry, deeds offices and non-court services at the justice department, where the PSA represented the majority of employees.
Meanwhile, the country's biggest trade union federation, Cosatu, yesterday threatened "a mother of all strikes" if the government does not meet its demands.
"The unions met today [Wednesday]... we have now come to a firm conclusion to go on strike. We will serve government with a notice to strike today," Fikile Majola of Nehawu said.
The unions, representing 56 percent of the 1,3million public sector employees, included Nehawu, Sadtu, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union, the SA National Defence Union, the SA Medical Association, the SA State and Allied Workers Union and the Public and Allied Workers Union of SA.
Two major marches would be held in Pretoria and Cape Town on August 10, said Majola.
"We will meet on Friday and come out with a specific programme of action on the pickets, marches and a full-blown strike," Majola said.
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