South Africa: Nehawu Members Go Back to Work

Tariro Washinyira / GroundUp
Public sector workers protest in Cape Town on Wednesday March 8, 2023.
16 March 2023
GroundUp (Cape Town)
By Liezl Human

Union ends strike, returns to negotiating table after deal with government

Negotiations between National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) and the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) are continuing today, according to the union.

The Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council announced on Wednesday that the parties had reached an agreement, bringing to an end a nationwide strike.

The Council said in a statement that the settlement included the end of hostilities between all parties and a return to work. Issues arising from the 2022-23 wage dispute would be dealt with as part of the 2023-24 wage negotiations, and a minimum service level agreement would be concluded.

The 2022-23 wages were at the heart of the NEHAWU strike action. NEHAWU refused the 3% wage increase offered by the government for that year and went on strike calling for at least a 10% increase.

Council spokesperson Oomang Parag said the agreement had not been released to the public yet.

But NEHAWU spokesperson Lwazi Nkolonzi said the government had committed to raising its offer on the 2022-23 wage increase.

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU), the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA), and the South African Policing Union (SAPU) were also part of the agreement to return to negotiations.

The strike by NEHAWU started on 6 March and affected clinics and hospitals across the country. Some hospitals shut down.

Read the original article on GroundUp.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2023 GroundUp. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.