NEHAWU threatens protest over wages
THE National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) is preparing to stage protests throughout KZN, claiming the government failed to honour a 2018 salary increase agreement.
The government indicated no salary increases were in the offing owing to lack of funds this year, but the union demands implementation of the agreement reached two years ago.
NEHAWU KZN Secretary, Ayanda Zulu, said negotiations with the government have reached a deadlock.
‘The government finally admitted that it doesn’t have the money to honour the agreement.
‘We agreed on a 7% salary increase for 2018, and 5.4% for 2019 and 2020,’ said
Zulu.
He said the union has decided to picket courts and hospitals from 30 March to display their anger and frustration.
‘At a special council meeting of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council convened last Tuesday, the government made it clear that it will be giving our members a zero per cent salary increase on 1 April.
‘We have always maintained that any intention to disregard collective bargaining, is a declaration of war,’ said Zulu.
‘We have warned government to desist from provoking our members and uttering inciting statements, as we have the potential to destabilise the public service.
‘We will never allow what has been won democratically by workers to be taken by authoritarian, undemocratic means.
‘Our position is that wage agreements reached by parties in the bargaining council remain sacrosanct.
‘Anyone who undermines workers’ gains must also be prepared to face the wrath of our members.
‘As a responsible trade union, we have decided that members who work in critical sectors will be exempted from participating in the protest.
‘We won’t have a full blown strike, as we will honour the president’s call to ban gatherings of more than 100 people,’ Zulu said