Dear DENOSA member.
As reported previously that DENOSA and other unions had entered into a Settlement Agreement that made them to return to PSCBC to enter discussions on 2023/24 wage negotiations, please be informed that, at the Special Council meeting that was held on 17 March 2023, the employer presented an offer of a pensionable 7.5% across the board for the government employees between Levels 1 to 12.
Trade unions have been given the period between 17 and 24 March 2023 to consult with their members and seek a mandate on the offer that is tabled.
It must be noted, however, that the offer has the following characteristics:
· It replaces the R1000 non-pensionable tax gratuity that will end in March 2023 if a new agreement is entered into.
· It is equivalent to the 4.2% that was previously offered in cash gratuity plus 3.3%.
· The 3.3% is the real increment that the government is offering.
· It is a multi-term agreement of two years, with year one (2023/24) offering a 7.5% pensionable increase; and
· On year two (2024/25), the government offers a CPI adjustment of between 4.5% and 6.5%.
The DENOSA National Executive Committee (NEC) held a Special NEC meeting on 18 March 2023 to look at the recent offer from the government and has resolved that structures of DENOSA embark on the mandate-collection process for the period 17-24 March 2023.
This is notwithstanding the high possibility that the offer may enjoy majority support.
Analysis of the government offer tabled at PSCBC
While the government offer of 7.5% may appear appealing, it is worth zooming into the area that matters the most for the public servants, the take-home amount at the end of the day.
On the government wage negotiations, we offer the following analysis, which we hope could assist our members to reach an informed decision when deciding:
The offer means little something to those employees who are at the higher salary levels than it does to those who are at the lower salary levels.
The current offer does not cater the issue that is important in DENOSA’s view, the outstanding matter of the 2022/23 wage negotiations, which were part of the Settlement Agreement that was signed between DENOSA and the government for DENOSA to return to the negotiation tables.
The condition for DENOSA to return to the negotiations was that the 2022/23 negotiations will be featured, and that the government will discuss them positively.
Unfortunately, the majority in labour supported that the matter of the outstanding 2022/23 wage negotiations not be featured at these negotiations, although our demand of 4% augmentation to the unilaterally implemented 3% would have benefitted all public servants.
