Probably the longest title for an Eish!! post so far, but I couldn't come up with a shorter one.
For the sake of the readers outside of South Africa, we have been experiencing a civil servants general strike since Friday. They are demanding a 12% pay increase, the government are offering 6.5% (up from the original offer of 6%). Although our government have been at pains to assure us that their offer is actually quite a bit higher than then 6.5% as they have also offered various better additional perks and subsidies like medical aid upgrades etc.
Naturally the newspapers and talk (& music) radio stations have been abuzz with comment regarding the strike. One thing has stood out for me, however, and herein lies both the problem and potentially the solution. All those that have been sympathetic to the strike have quoted the "low" salaries paid to teachers, police men and women and nurses. I have yet to hear someone call in and say "I know this clerk in Home Affairs. He only gets paid R uvwx.yz a month for all the work they have to do."
The government have said that they are to substantially increase the packages offered to those professions mentioned above as well as others identified as been currently under resourced and difficult attract personnel, architects and civil engineers been two vocations I recall being mentioned.
So, in my opinion, these guys are striking over a battle they have actually already won. They are actually fighting for their colleagues (I use this term extremely loosely) in those areas which actually do not deserve even the 6% been put on the table. I mean, unless you have made onto the top scorers list in Tetris of course ;-)
Surely, what they should be doing is petitioning their Union representatives, whether or not they are aligned to COSATU, to negotiate increases and conditions of service specifically for their professions. Why do they want to be bundled in with all the other schmucks? There is no way that this can be beneficial for them. Think about it. A nurse, who we all seem to agree is not paid sufficiently, gets the 12% she so desperately wants. However the Tetris champion gets his 12% as well. What nett gain has the nurse actually got in the greater scheme of things? Not much in my opinion.
For the sake of the readers outside of South Africa, we have been experiencing a civil servants general strike since Friday. They are demanding a 12% pay increase, the government are offering 6.5% (up from the original offer of 6%). Although our government have been at pains to assure us that their offer is actually quite a bit higher than then 6.5% as they have also offered various better additional perks and subsidies like medical aid upgrades etc.
Naturally the newspapers and talk (& music) radio stations have been abuzz with comment regarding the strike. One thing has stood out for me, however, and herein lies both the problem and potentially the solution. All those that have been sympathetic to the strike have quoted the "low" salaries paid to teachers, police men and women and nurses. I have yet to hear someone call in and say "I know this clerk in Home Affairs. He only gets paid R uvwx.yz a month for all the work they have to do."
The government have said that they are to substantially increase the packages offered to those professions mentioned above as well as others identified as been currently under resourced and difficult attract personnel, architects and civil engineers been two vocations I recall being mentioned.
So, in my opinion, these guys are striking over a battle they have actually already won. They are actually fighting for their colleagues (I use this term extremely loosely) in those areas which actually do not deserve even the 6% been put on the table. I mean, unless you have made onto the top scorers list in Tetris of course ;-)
Surely, what they should be doing is petitioning their Union representatives, whether or not they are aligned to COSATU, to negotiate increases and conditions of service specifically for their professions. Why do they want to be bundled in with all the other schmucks? There is no way that this can be beneficial for them. Think about it. A nurse, who we all seem to agree is not paid sufficiently, gets the 12% she so desperately wants. However the Tetris champion gets his 12% as well. What nett gain has the nurse actually got in the greater scheme of things? Not much in my opinion.
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