Thousands of South African public employees are now on strike in a statewide walkout over salaries after talks with the government broke down, endangering crucial services.
The work stoppage was led by the Public Servants Association (PSA), one of South Africa’s largest labour unions with over 235,000 members. The pay standoff between the government and its employees worsened after Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said last week that he would unilaterally apply a 3% raise across the board, whereas the Unions are asking for a 6.5 per cent raise.
Union members, including nurses, immigration employees, and even police officers, picketed outside the Pretoria Treasury office, brandishing black posters that said: “public servants are bleeding.”
The PSA had warned on Wednesday that the walkout would have a major impact on the departments of home affairs, transportation, and border control.
The minister’s “irresponsible action has further damaged the already fragile relations and severe trust deficit” between the government and unions, according to the statement.
During his October mini-budget statement, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana stated that the government could only afford a 3.3 per cent salary rise on average, which is lower than South Africa’s inflation rate, which peaked at 7.8 per cent in July.