Strike: End in sight
Thokozani Mtshali and Borrie La Grange Published:Jun 18, 2007

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THULAS NXESI

A breakthrough is in sight that would end the 18-day public-sector workers’ strike.
Both government and labour representatives, who met last night in Pretoria, are hopeful an agreement will be reached soon.

Thulas Nxesi, the general secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers Union, said last night that the unions were “optimistic” about “a quick solution” to the strike.

Nxesi said: “We don’t know the outcome at this stage, but all the parties recognise that the strike has had a negative impact.”

The unions were consulting their members about what they would accept as a compromise.

He said: “Our members are the ones who will tell us what would be an acceptable offer if the employer cannot meet our current demand of a 10percent increase.”

The government side also said it was optimistic.

Louis Rabkin, spokesman for the public service and administration minister, Geraldine Fraser- Moleketi, said the parties had moved “a bit closer to the solution to this dispute”.

The government presented a new offer on Friday of a 7.25 percent increase, moving up slightly from its earlier offer of a 6.5 percent pay rise.

The unions backed down on their initial demands, coming down from 12 percent to 10percent.

Though they have rejected the 7.25 percent offer , most of them feel it is a fair basis from which to begin new negotiations.

Tahir Maepa, of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa said: “We think the government needs to move up and we are hopeful that we will manage to move them.”

Most of the 300 000 teachers striking belong to Sadtu and Naptosa.

Striking teachers said they wanted a quick resolution.

Meyra Venter, a teacher with 21 years’ experience, said her monthly take-home salary was R5800.

A 7percent increase in her pay would mean about R300 a month more.

Venter said: “With this kind of salary, I need to use my credit card to survive each month. Every year I use all my bonus to settle my debts.

“This has become a vicious circle and it is a common situation among teachers.”

Cynthia Malatjie, a nurse at the Johannesburg Hospital, said: “Based on my current salary, a 10percent increase will mean an additional R400 a month and anything less than that would not be worth the strike.” The government has fired striking workers in the essential services and has started docking the pay of teachers who stayed away.

An end to the strike will be welcome news for the private sector, because the stayaways, which started at the beginning of the month, have had a negative effect on its ability to transfer property and conclude vehicle sales.

Operations at the Deeds Office and at vehicle licensing departments have been affected by the strike, causing losses for property developers and car dealers.

Flying dagga lands on squad car
14/06/2007 23:05 - (SA)
Grahamstown - A suspected dagga dealer, fearing arrest, tried to get rid of a bag of dagga by throwing it over his fence - where it landed on the bonnet of a police car, Grocott's Mail reported on Thursday.

The Port Alfred man then ran away, but was arrested after a brief chase.

Police spokesperson Mali Govender said another bag, with 147 one-gram packages of dagga, was found in the suspect's house in Zama Zama Street in Port Alfred. The dagga had a street value of R735.

The 39-year-old suspect is due to appear in the Port Alfred's Magistrate Court on Monday.

Baby's death 'is a disgrace'
14/06/2007 08:27 - (SA)
Dirk Kok, Die Volksblad

Bloemfontein - A Free State family is in mourning after their baby died in his mother's arms, shortly after being discharged from hospital because of the strike.

Joyce Ditsoane and her family who live on the farm Lima, near Tweespruit in the Free State, say they feel raw and bitter.

Ditsoane's 13-month-old boy Mogalema died at home after being discharged from the Dr JS Moroka Hospital on Tuesday night, while the hospital prepared to strike.

"A nursing sister told me I had to take my child home, because there would be no-one there to care for him on Wednesday. They also informed the others and sent them home."

Ditsoane, whose baby had a lung infection, had kept watch at his bedside all of the previous week. She loaded him into a taxi for the 45km trip to the farm. He died at her parents' home shortly after they arrived home.

"I am hurt and angry. If they (the hospital) had looked after him, he would still be alive."

The boy's granny, Clementine, agreed that he would not have died if he had not been discharged, and said she was furious at the hospital.

A farmer who knows the family well said it was a disgrace. "This is an innocent child who has died."

At Moroka Hospital and the Botshabelo District Hospital, a handful of personnel performed only the absolutely necessary tasks.

Soldiers who were to have helped at Moroka Hospital from Tuesday night, did not arrive.

Mbeki refuses to take his 57% pay increase
Thokozani Mtshali, Xolani Xundu, Brendan Boyle and Sapa Published:Jun 14, 2007

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PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI

Unions also on back foot as national strike flops
President Thabo Mbeki has turned down a massive salary increase — on the day striking public-sector workers marched through city centres demanding pay hikes.

The Moseneke Commission had recommended that Mbeki and his cabinet receive pay increases of up to 57 percent.

Public Service Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said yesterday that the president had ‘‘considered the recommendations, but did not accept them’’.

Labour federation Cosatu has used the recommendations as a rallying point in its current public-service strike.

But last night Cosatu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told The Times: ‘‘Obviously it makes it easier for us to find a settlement in wage negotiations. Because people were always raising this issue that the president and cabinet were giving themselves huge salary increases, when they could not even give us 12 percent.’’

The unions were dealt a double blow yesterday when a national sympathy strike flopped and the government said it would dock the pay of striking public servants.

This means they will probably lose at least half their June salaries because the public-sector strike enters its 14th day today.

More than 800 essential-service employees have already received notices of dismissal.

Fraser-Moleketi said strikers who broke the law would be shown no mercy. But she left the door open for the possible reinstatement of nurses who were sacked for abandoning protected posts.

Union leaders, meanwhile, tried to play down the poor turnout for yesterday’s sympathy strike , which was called by Cosatu. The labour federation had predicted that the stayaway would bring South Africa to a standstill.

Thulas Nxesi, general secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers Union, conceded the turnout was not as good as expected. But he said: “It is not that we have failed to mobilise people — the turnout is not an issue — but you must look at the impact because I think that was huge and it has sent a signal to the government that it has no choice but to meet the workers’ demands.”

About 10000 civil servants took part in a march in Johannesburg, while union leaders and observers put the numbers in Pretoria at between 20000 and 30000.

In Durban, about 20000 people took to the streets in protest, while in Cape Town, only about 5000 strikers attended a rally addressed by Vavi. The violence he had earlier warned about did not materialise.

Although public transport was disrupted in some cities, the total standstill predicted by the unions did not happen.

The union leaders will meet in Pretoria today to conduct a post-mortem. Negotiations between the government and the unions are expected to resume tomorrow.

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Strikers: RIP with your 7.25%
13/06/2007 14:57
By: Lauren Hess


Cape Town - Irate strikers on Wednesday told Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi to "Rest in Peace with her 7.25%".

The government earlier on Wednesday accepted the negotiators' 7.25% package they proposed over the weekend. Unions already then rejected the offer saying they will not budge from their demand for a 10% across-the-board wage hike.

Fraser-Moleketi's spokesperson Lewis Rabkin said in a statement on Wednesday: "Recognising that we are 13 days into industrial action, and further recognising the toll that this is taking on all sectors of society, we... felt it incumbent upon us to accede to the proposal."

He said the proposal imposed a serious burden on the employer because it required extending the total package and committing funds beyond those in the medium term expenditure framework.

But unions were adamant that they would not accept anything less than 10%. Their discontent with the offer was evident in a makeshift coffin with a black and white picture of Fraser-Moleketi adorning the top, reading: "RIP Geraldine. RIP met jou 7.25% (Rest in Peace with your 7.25%)."

Striking at Mbeki

Cosatu general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, told thousands of strikers "we're not moving back".

"The 7.25% is an insult. It has been 13 days (of striking). If necessary, they (government) will see 30 more days. We are not moving back," Vavi said.

One teacher challenged the public service and administration minister to swap her pay with the educators and "see if she can survive".

"We taught the MPs to hold pens and calculate," the teacher from Nobantu Primary, Gugulethu said in frustration.

Vavi also lashed out at President Thabo Mbeki for saying that the country's economic growth is breaking historical records.

"We want (Mbeki) to walk more on the paths in our cities and rural areas. He will know, as workers we have nothing to celebrate."

Ultimatum

Meanwhile, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights union has threatened to join the strike if the unions' demands are not met and have given government a deadline of five days.

Unions also demanded that the government reinstate employees they fired for striking.

They warned that all government services including schools and hospitals would be closed from Wednesday if their demands were not met.