The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is scheduled to meet with other public sector unions this week for a labor caucus. This meeting marks the conclusion of consultations with their members prior to the commencement of formal wage talks in the sector next month. They are urging for genuine negotiations in the public sector from the Public Service and Administration Minister Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi in the government of national unity (GNU). The current two-year 3% wage agreement in the public sector is set to expire in April 2025.
Cosatu convener Khaya Sodidi stated that their members are seeking a double-digit salary increase. “As unions, we’ve reviewed the economic outlook over the past 4 years and conducted extensive research to inform our members. We’ve asked for a mandate backed by the economic information we’ve gathered.”
“We are considering a double-digit increase in employee salaries. We have found that government employees in the public sector have been receiving much less than inflation for the past 4 years,” Sodidi stated.
