Deputy Speaker, I want to respond to the hon member who raised the issue of the public sector strike, urging the employer to go and find the money to avert the strike.
I want to take this opportunity to state the assurance that the Minister had announced in several press briefings that, on behalf of government, the Department of Public Service and Administration - the Minister and his team in particular - is making extremely strenuous efforts to meet the demands that have been placed by the public sector workers on the state to avert the strike and to find an acceptable solution to all the parties concerned.
As you all know, we are in the midst of trying to finalise the negotiations on the public sector dispute. At the moment, the Minister has announced that the offer that has been made by government to the trade unions, which is being considered now, is an offer of 7% against their basic demand of 8,6%, with a further 1,5% of what is defined as pay progression and a further 0,5%, which is attributable to the housing allowance that amounts to R700 00, making a total of 9% against the demands that the trade unions have made on the employer.
Government has moved, in this particular offer, from its initial opening offer of 6% to a total sum now of 9%. The housing allowance will move from an opening offer of R600 00 to R700 00. This proposal is currently being considered at a meeting of the bargaining council today. So, we don't want to jeopardise the outcome of this particular matter by taking the debate in the House any further.
However, I really want to reiterate our commitment as government to finding a solution that is acceptable to all parties. In the context of the matters that underline the demands that have been placed before us by the trade unions concerned, government has given an assurance that we must put a scientific process in place that must be directed at reviewing the remuneration policy of public sector workers in the medium to long term.
I would like to give an assurance to this House that, within the resources that are available to the state, we are determined to find an appropriate solution that balances both the interest of the public sector as well as the interest of the people we are serving. We cannot allow ourselves to be compromised from meeting the obligations that we as a government have committed ourselves to in our programme of action.
The issue of finding an appropriate solution and ensuring that the strike is averted is very central to our commitment. We believe that the workers of this country have a democratic right to strike, but in so far as we support that and take heed of that right, we also would like to urge the workers concerned that the right must be exercised without any threat, intimidation or violence. Thank you.
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