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“Cosatu has asked for two weeks to consult,” ministerial spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya said.

He confirmed the government had upped its latest offer to a general salary increase of 6.7%, from 6.5% for the 2012/2013 financial year.

The most recent round of wage negotiations began on Monday evening and finished on Tuesday around 3.30am.

“We were ready to come back to the negotiating table this morning [Wednesday], but Cosatu said they need to seek a mandate.” 

While there had been “some progress,” the Independent Labour Caucus (ILC), which represents 11 unions, was not satisfied with the latest offer, its spokesman Chris Kloppers said.

He said the caucus had lowered its demand from 8% to 7.5%.

Mabaya said the government was negotiating in good faith.

“We are not saying it is 6.7% and anyone who doesn’t like it must go home. We are considering the competing demands on this country. We have to work with what we have.” 

Newly-appointed Public Service and Administration Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has previously indicated the government’s offer to unions was already billions of rand over what it had budgeted.

On Wednesday, Mabaya said the government would resume talks as soon as the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) was ready.

“Anytime, we are ready.... We are on stand-by 24 hours a day.” 

Kloppers earlier said talks were on hold because state negotiators were out of the country.

“This week, the state’s chief negotiators have gone on an overseas trip to Canada,” he said.

They were expected back on July 11.

Mabaya said it was a study trip for people representing all parties involved in the public sector bargaining council, including ILC negotiators.

“They cannot say they are waiting for Canada. They are waiting for Cosatu.” 

Mabaya said the government wanted to resolve pay talks so it could focus on eradicating inefficiency in the sector.

“They do miracles and we reward them well.” 

The talks deadlocked in May, but Sisulu tried to revive them in June.

The new talks deadlocked mid-month when the ILC declared a wage dispute.

Comments

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Fri May 24 07:43:26 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 27, 2012

Zuma-4-Second-Term-DJWinner

Do you really call 6.5 to 6.7% an increase? 0.2% is like a R50 increase, ofwhich R30 will be taxed.
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Jun 27, 2012

somaartakeit

Cosatu if you are a smart you should go for full percentage increase you started off with cause SA is clearly a rich country (look at the president's millionaire children and friends) so the gov should afford to pay its public servants, plus we are standing ready to throw money into mswati's harem to do there what zwelithini is doing to us in SA,
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Jun 27, 2012

ThirdEye

This is still not good, Cosatu members won't agree with this. Government is playing with us.
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Jun 27, 2012

Real-Mogwanthi

Thanx God i dont work for the goverment!
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Jun 27, 2012

Little_Dude

somaartakeit
Cosatu if you are a smart you should go for full percentage increase you started off with cause SA is clearly a rich country (look at the president's millionaire children and friends) so the gov should afford to pay its public servants, plus we are standing ready to throw money into mswati's harem to do there what zwelithini is doing to us in SA
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I like your reasoning capacity. Spot on this!
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Jun 27, 2012

somaartakeit

@Little_Dude all I want is for the anc to stick with what's outlined on the Freedom Charter, that the people ie you and me shall share in the country's wealth, we must never give them a chance to shortchange us, anything less is a betrayal to what the struggle was about, and what is good for the king and queens of the anc is good for SAn peasants after-all they are the sweat and blood behind accumulations the anc leaders and their families are enjoying today, so no compromise comrades, we must go for our share of the loot. Naturally I am not saying ppl must be given things without having earned them, but that rule must be applied across the border not just to ordinary men and women on the street, btw I have nothing to gain or either way this salary negotiations pans out, but I feel the pain of the ppl who always have to angrily protest in order to get fair recognition from the gov, how can we expect them to deliver decent services if htey are being paid peanuts? I still insist there is a money so lets share it all around.
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Jun 27, 2012

Little_Dude

somaartakeit
@Little_Dude all I want is for the anc to stick with what's outlined on the Freedom Charter, that the people ie you and me shall share in the country's wealth, we must never give them a chance to shortchange us, anything less is a betrayal to what the struggle was about, and what is good for the king and queens of the anc is good for SAn peasants after-all they are the sweat and blood behind accumulations the anc leaders and their families are enjoying today, so no compromise comrades, we must go for our share of the loot. Naturally I am not saying ppl must be given things without having earned them, but that rule must be applied across the border not just to ordinary men and women on the street, btw I have nothing to gain or either way this salary negotiations pans out, but I feel the pain of the ppl who always have to angrily protest in order to get fair recognition from the gov, how can we expect them to deliver decent services if htey are being paid peanuts? I still insist there is a money so lets share it all around
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AMEN! you should be COSATU spokes person. Zuma deployed Lindiwe Sisulu to deal with Vavi......look this with bigger picture and compare Lindiwe the way she used to manage Defence Force.


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Jun 27, 2012

Mphorozza

R2 billion to Mswati and 2billion Dollars to the world bank so south Africa is very rich. SA can pay its employees ut to 20%. Believe me in Bushbuckridge people are sharing water with donkeys.
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Jun 27, 2012

MicaParis

This is very little and still have much to be desired as 1,2% of this will still go to tax. Our people are not earning anything and salaries from level 1 to 8 are a shame to a rich country like South Africa and are way below the inflation target and by 2014 that will even be worse as new negotiation increment will start again as a window period. A housing subsidy of 900 for level 7 to 8 is a blatant insult to the voting majority, these comrades forget where they come from, Comrade Kgali forgot that he once earn that salary as a shop steward of NUM, please comrades give our people a living salary. If you do an analysis in 2009 and 2011 around March the salaries of the Executives across the border was increased on top of allowances in terms of the Ministerial Handbook and the budget caused the National Treasury about 2 billion per month and this figure was made very confidential to the General Public until Julius Malema blew the cover while he was still a friend of Zuma with Comrade Vavi's influence undercover as a unionist. If that amount can be dedicated to the salaries of level 1 to 8 to close the huge gap it will only cost the Treasury the same amount for about 8 years as those salaries are very low but ironically the money was used were it does not matter!! And moreover the designated group is not marginalized because they earn millions on tenders and by selling jobs and kick backs from tenders that they award to themselves. Even the President is doing that I work close to him he is not an exception despite lies in his speeches! Please ANC be fair to our people who are suffering and are so much having faith in you Comrdes!! Thanks to Blade Nzimande and Nyanda for spearheading increment of executive salaries this two Comrades do not care about the poor and Zuma approved!!!, jaaaaaaa Comrades they are very clever!!
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Jun 27, 2012

lidodaduvha11

mabaya , inwi ni khou amba mini no vha ni tshi rengisa hot dog ri tshe tshikoloni TNG, ok i see now ur Lindiwe spokesperman, wherever she goes ur are behing her, so listen my brother, rather start looking for a job now or start collecting all the tenderprenuer money , ur on a deep trouble with civil servent, Lindiwe will dump u, remember when Thabo Masebe. Ur on politics now, not government as u might think. So act now before it is too late and stop talking nonsense leave politics to policians.nxxxxxx
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