Over 245,000 government workers to get big pay bump

The South African government increased its pay offer to public sector workers to 5.5% from 5% as it seeks to end wage talks that began in September.

The latest offer presented at a special council meeting Monday is “very progressive,” said Claude Naicker, spokesman for the Public Servants Association of South Africa, which represents more than 245,000 workers.

The increase is “their final offer, meaning that they will append their signature to the draft agreement, and what it effectively means is that it gives the unions 21 days to either accept the agreement or not,” said Naicker.

Frikkie de Bruin, general secretary of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council, wasn’t immediately available to comment. 

Although the offer is a climbdown from workers’ opening demand of 12% for the fiscal year that begins April 1, it is significantly higher than South Africa’s 2.9% inflation rate and the reserve bank’s 4.5% target