(Recasts, adds union comment)
By Peroshni Govender
PRETORIA, June 19 (Reuters) – A South African minister urged
unions representing about 1.3 million state workers to return to
pay talks on Tuesday, but warned that any increase above the
current 6.5 percent offer would mean dipping into state
reserves.
Talks over pay increases broke down last week, raising the
threat of a strike that could shut down hospitals and schools.
“The state of our global economy, the reality of our own
limited budget, our own credit rating and credibility make me
hope and believe that labour and ourselves as government have no
appetite for a dispute and, worse, a strike,” Lindiwe Sisulu,
minister of public administration, told a news conference.
A spokesman for one of a dozen unions involved in the
dispute said he welcomed the government’s call.
“Going back to the negotiation table is the right thing to
do but we are not going to be intimidated,” said Sizwe Pamla of
health and education union NEHAWU, one of the most powerful
public sector unions with a quarter of a million members.
Unions must consult members before formally accepting the
invitation and no date for a new round of talks has been set.
The government had originally budgeted for a 5 percent
increase but was forced to increase its offer as inflation has
inched up in recent months, hitting 6.1 percent in April.
Continued…
