What was set to be “a day of rage” for the affiliates of the Public Servants Association (PSA) has been reduced to just another normal working day for thousands of the trade union’s members.
The PSA had been readying its 230 000-strong following to take to the streets on Monday in what the union said would have been an attempt to cripple the country’s already ailing economy.The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) however quickly dashed the PSA’s plans yesterday.
DPSA director for collective bargaining Letsatsi Modise said the government’s wage offer had been accepted by the majority of unions in the public sector. The proposal entailed a 6% to 7% wage increase for employees while the PSA had demanded a wage increment of 12%.
PSA spokesman Reuben Maleka yesterday confirmed Monday’s strike had been called off though “public servants in general are angry about the employer’s offer”.