WC NEHAWU TO RESPECT COURT ORDER INTERDICTING ESSENTIAL WORKERS FROM STRIKING

The strike is now in its second week. Nehawu is demanding a 10% wage increase while government is offering 4.7%.

Nehawu members have been protesting for higher wages. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News

Lauren Isaacs & Melikhaya  Zagagana | 14 March 2023 16:22

CAPE TOWN - Nehawu in the Western Cape said that it would respect a court order which prohibits essential service workers from strike action.

This comes after the Labour Court issued a directive on Monday against union members disrupting services at hospitals and social service offices.

The strike is now in its second week.

Nehawu is demanding a 10% wage increase while government is offering 4.7%.

Nehawu provincial chairperson, Baxolise Mali, was speaking outside a closed Home Affairs office in Cape Town's city centre.

He said that workers should have no fear in exercising their constitutional right to strike.

"We want to confirm as Nehawu, just as we've instructed our members to go back to their workplaces after the Labour Appeals Court judgment, that we commit ourselves to respect the court of laws. We will not agitate them to come out because that will be in contempt of court."

Meanwhile, the South African Policing Union (Sapu) is joining Nehawu's strike for a 10% wage increase.

"As of Friday, we are going to see our members withdrawing their labour."

Sapu's Lesiba Thobakgale said that it was in government's hands to resolve the impasse.

"We are in this plight clearly because government does not want to do justice to public servants. Public servants during the COVID period, they did not receive salary increases. That has gone even up until now with a high cost of living, with the high cost of medical aid, high cost of petrol price, it’s just so difficult for public servants to survive.”

He said that they went through the process of facilitation over the weekend.

"It never bared any fruits, unfortunately because government’s posture when they come there, is that they are not there to discuss the 2022/2023, whereas we are open to social dialogue because that’s where you resolve these issues but when government comes there, they are telling you they are not prepared to talk about (a thing) that has passed."