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South Africa: Public service unions hit out at pay deal backtrack

SOUTH AFRICAN public service unions yesterday condemned government attempts to claw back part of their 7 per cent pay deal.

The PSCBC negotiating bloc of 18 unions, including seven affiliates of the largest federation Cosatu, said it was “dismayed and deeply angered by the provocative behaviour” of the Department of Public Service and Administration.

A circular from the department directs public services to cut the agreed pay rise to 6.4 per cent, alleging that staff were overpaid by 0.6 per cent in the last financial year.

The 7 per cent deal was part of a three-year above-inflation settlement last month to resolve a seven-month dispute involving 1.3 million unionised workers.

PSCBS spokesman Mugwena Maluleke said: “We view this as an attack on the collective bargaining process.

“This is underhanded in the extreme and will totally destroy the little trust left from the negotiation process where the employer repeatedly changed agreed positions.”

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