20100420
sabc

Minister for the Public Service and Administration Richard Baloyi has called on labour movements to refrain from strikes and find solutions through engagements. Baloyi was speaking to the media in Pretoria, ahead of his budget vote in Parliament tomorrow.

The minister's call comes with the municipal strike in its eighth day and no clear sign of it ending. Talks are to begin in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council in the next few days. Baloyi says this must be seen as the beginning of negotiations season and not strike season.

Meanwhile, rubbish continues to pile up in the streets of Johannesburg as the strike by thousands of municipal workers enters its eighth day today. Workers’ union, the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and employer body South African Local Government Association (Salga) are at loggerheads over a demand for market-related salaries.

Hopes for an end to the municipal workers' strike have been dashed again. Salga and Samwu have been in and out of meetings since the strike began last week. There were hopes that the industrial action could end by yesterday. However, there is still no agreement reached. The union says there in only one sticking point: “We are calling for two years pay back for our members. Salga have not conceded to this demand at this moment in time,” says Samwu spokesperson Tahir Sema.

The strike has been marred by incidents of vandalism in Johannesburg. The two parties are again scheduled to meet with the bargaining committee this afternoon.