“Following a number of developments in the negotiating chamber and the concerns raised by the negotiating parties, the mandate committee has decided to broaden its consultation within government and thus ask the council to grant it more time to finalize its internal processes before any new round of negotiation can commence,” said acting Public Service and Administration Minister Naledi Pandor.
Minister Pandor requested for more time from the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) on behalf of the mandate committee.
The mandate committee consists of Ministers of Finance, Defence, Health, Basic Education, Justice and Correctional Services, Police, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Labour, State Security, Higher Education and Training, Home Affairs, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Social Development.
To allow for thorough process of consultation, the mandate committee asked that council should reconvene on 3 May 2018 to take the process forward.
Minister Pandor appealed to all public servants to be patient with the process and allow the parties time to package a workable and sustainable deal for all parties concerned.
“We understand the urgency of the situation and the need to conclude these talks timeously but we also want to ensure that we package a deal that is workable and sustainable for both government, labour and the South African public in general,” said Minister Pandor
The Minister reiterated the call for all parties to commit to the process and work towards an acceptable outcome for all.
“As government, we would like to assure all stakeholders that we are committed to this process and thus appeal to all players concerned to focus their energies towards a sustainable outcome of the talks,” said Minister Pandor.
The committee also noted the application for conciliation that was submitted by the PSA to the council, which gives the parties a period of thirty (30) days to conclude talks about public service wage issues.
“We note the application by the PSA and hope that we can still find each other through this conciliation process, what is important is that we must fashion a deal that works for all of us,” said Minister Pandor.
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