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The SAOU noted with dismay the media articles that purport that National Treasury intends to reduce the salaries of public service employees with 10% in an endeavour to balance the National Budget.

The SAOU will not accept such a reduction and will provide stern resistance. As an integral part of our pro-active actions, consultations with the other FEDUSA unions have already taken place with the aim of considering appropriate collective actions.
As a first step, a joint media statement by the SAOU and the other FEDUSA unions will be released wherein the following will be conveyed:

• It is absolutely unacceptable to learn this disturbing news via the media. A bona fide employer would not have followed such an approach and would have consulted unions pro-actively.
• It is totally unacceptable that the failures of state owned enterprises, i.e. Escom, SAA, SABC and others must be financed by a reduction of the salaries of public servants.
• The current collective agreement in the PSCBC only terminates 31 March 2021. The SAOU will not be persuaded to renegotiate the collective agreement. We will insist that the State as employer must honour its obligations in terms of this agreement. The salary adjustments for 2020/21 are as follows:

1. Salary levels 1 to 7: Projected CPI + 1%;
2. Salary levels 8 to 10: Projected CPI + 0,5%; and
3. Salary levels 11 and 12: Projected CPI.

• The SAOU will also insist on an urgent meeting in the PSCBC with the central employer, i.e. the Department of Public Service and Administration. A formal statement in regard to this matter will be demanded.
• Any attempt by the State as employer to not comply with its obligations in terms of the collective agreements, will be addressed with the appropriate remedial action.

An integral part of the strategy will be to convince the COSATU unions that they also need to act firmly as it is of the utmost importance that the two large trade union federations, i.e. FEDUSA and COSATU must cooperate to avert this challenge.
SAOU members will be kept abreast of the unfolding developments in this regard.

Issued by SAOU