Cosatu says that before heading to the Labour Court, unions were ready to negotiate on the future of the Public Service Wage. However, it was the government who instituted legal action, which it now wants to back out from. The labour federation’s chief negotiator and secretary-general, Mugwena Maluleke says that the government has realised that it had entered into a losing battle. Government, in an attempt to save funds, has reneged on an earlier wage agreement with public servants. It argues that the money would be diverted to save State-Owned Entities.

Header image: Ashraf Hendricks