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BusinessLive reports the that executive for remuneration and benefits at the SA Revenue Service (SARS), Takalani Musekwa, said on Thursday that giving in to the demand for a 11.4% salary increase by employees would bankrupt the tax agency.
Speaking on the first day of an indefinite strike at SARS, Musekwa said the increment asked for by the Public Servants Association (PSA) and National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) was unaffordable and would bankrupt the agency. The unions have indicated that they would take an 8% increase for a single year deal back to their members if SARS placed it on the table. But, the tax agency said it would only offer 8% if the unions agreed to a multi-term agreement. Musekwa reported that 33 out of 53 walk-in branches were closed on Thursday as a result of the strike, with the rest functioning on a diminished capacity. He said 90% of the tax agency’s 700 staff members at its contact centres were part of the strike. Ports of entry were affected. SARS employees at the Beitbridge border post downed tools just after midnight on Wednesday, while workers at other border posts finished their shifts and only went on strike later on Thursday morning. SARS on Thursday afternoon obtained an interim interdict from the Labour Court barring workers from picketing at branches which were not designated in terms of the picketing rules.
- Read the full original of Claudi Mailovich’s report on the strike at BusinessLive
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page