The industrial action will see about 600000 union members down tools in protest against the 6% wage increase being offered by the government.
Other public sector unions have not said whether they will join the strike but are expected to decide by the end of the week. Their participation would see about 1-million people embarking on the mass action.
Although the need for maximum unity is crucial for the strike to have its greatest impact, Cosatu unions told reporters in Johannesburg yesterday that they would go ahead with the action with or without their colleagues.
Although some of the independent unions are historically opposed to striking as they represent conservative employees, they presented a united front with Cosatu’s unions after meeting last week.
This was after the independent unions denied reports that they wanted to negotiate with the government separately from Cosatu in order to avoid striking. There have been concerns that the mass action may turn violent, judging from a security guard strike last year, which saw guards becoming militant because the industry was seen to be siding with “sweetheart” unions.
Meanwhile, the government has reiterated that the strike is not necessary as its doors are still open to negotiations.
“We have not received any official notification of their intention to strike as required by the law,” said Lewis Rabkin, spokesman for Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi. “The government remains committed to negotiations ... we would like to avert a strike. We hope that the unions will return to the table.”
The Cosatu unions said they would return to talks only if the government improved its offer substantially.
The strike, which is gearing up to be the biggest yet in the public sector and will include teachers, border officials and administration staff, will also see unionised essential-services employees participating in the action in one form or another. National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union general secretary Fikile Majola said essential-service unions would meet their legal representatives today on how their members could support the strike, and would discuss declaring a dispute with the government over the lack of minimum service agreements for essential services.
“As we know, it has been several years now that we have being trying to negotiate a minimum service agreement. We have now come to the conclusion that government doesn’t want to negotiate a minimum service agreement because they want to undermine strike action,” he said.
Many sectors in the public service are labelled as essential services and those employees may not strike. But the Labour Relations Act does provide for agreements to be drawn up between employers and unions that will allow workers to strike as long as agreed minimum levels of service are maintained.
South African Democratic Teachers’ Union general secretary Thulas Nxesi said a number of events had been planned in the lead-up to the strike, including a night vigil at Parliament on Sunday and Monday. There would also be marches and rallies in every province on May 25. Pickets and demonstrations were being organised by provincial joint management committees especially established to co-ordinate the mass action.
The Cosatu unions would hold a meeting on the strike with the other unions later this week. Some of the seven unions in the independent caucus of the Public Service Collective Bargaining Council would know by the end of the week if they would join the strike.
Manie de Clerq, who chairs the independent caucus, said yesterday that if these unions wanted to down tools, they would have to give seven days’ notice before striking.
Kenny Govender, the government’s chief negotiator, said he would study the statement by the Cosatu unions before commenting.
