Protest action is nothing new in South Africa, and it is important that protesters participate within the bounds of the law. According to the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) Director-General, Yoliswa Makhasi, there have been a number of reports received about people blocking entrances and those who got arrested for embarking on unlawful strike action.
This comes after wage negotiations between the governmental department and unions broke down.
The department offered a 4.7% increase, while unions demanded between 10% and 12%. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) said it is disappointed with the ruling of the Labour Court interdicting the public service strike action.
The department received a court judgment that has dismissed Nehawu's appeal of the interdict that was handed out on 4 March 2023 and the department is in full view that the actions of individuals who took part in the strike were illegal.
In a statement, DPSA Acting Minister Thulas Nxesi said:
The no work, no pay principle will apply to employees embarking on illegal strike action.
Nxesi added that disciplinary action should be taken against those employees who blocked entrances and embarked in an unlawful strike.
No disciplinary action would have been taken against the employees if they had embarked on a peaceful picketing.
The government expects employees to come to work because the strike has been stopped. No leave should be taken during the strike period either and careful consideration should be taken when granting leave.
As there had been news of workers who said that they are not going back to work until the 10% increase has been granted.
Nehawu's acting regional secretary, Temba Gubula:
The purpose of this strike is to send a message to the government that our members in the public service deserve a decent salary increase.
The union will be going ahead with the wage strike despite the department obtaining a court interdict.
The governmental department is currently persuading all other parties to come back to the negotiations table, where the offer will be discussed and announced. Nxesi has emphasised that the government’s latest wage offer for public servants will not be announced in the media.
