SOUTH African public servants are preparing to reject a government wage offer, raising the prospect of the first major strike by state workers in more than a decade.
Preliminary results from a ballot of the Public Servants Association (PSA), the biggest government labour union, show workers won’t accept the proposal to increase pay by 3% and continue receiving a cash gratuity until March, the association said on Monday in an emailed statement.
The government’s current offer expires on Wednesday.
“Current mandating outcomes indicate that votes are tilting toward rejecting the offer,” the PSA said.
The unions have argued that inflation-beating increases are warranted in light of soaring food and energy costs. The annual consumer inflation rate is currently 7.6%.
Public servants in July lowered their demands for pay increases of as much as 10% to 6.5%, after the government rejected their earlier request on the grounds that it was unaffordable.
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