Four Seasons Before Lunch Gauteng (Pretoria)

 I have lived in Pretoria for half my life, but even at almost 50, l still am not ready for mornings like this . I step out of  home in the morning at 7 a.m., greeted by a warm, gentle breeze and sunshine so golden it felt like summer had arrived overnight. The sky was clear; the jacaranda trees glowed purple; the air smelled of warmth and possibility. “Perfect day,” l muttered, locking his door. By the time l drive out—five minutes later—the sky starts to be darkened. A cold wind came crawling in from nowhere, sweeping dust across the pavement. The temperature dropped so suddenly that  l have  to switch the heater for warmth. Laughing. “Ah, Pretoria… you never disappoint.” Halfway to the office, the heavens opened. Not soft rain— a storm . Sheets of water hammered the road, street gutters overflowed instantly, and distant thunder rolled like a grumpy giant waking up too early. People scattered, hiding under bus shelters already too full.  “Ten minutes ago...

GOVT MOVING AHEAD WITH PLAN TO SCRAP SOME BENEFITS FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS - COSATU

 Government’s proposal to labour during the latest round of wage negotiations, which deadlocked, proposes a holistic redesign of the remuneration framework among others as it turned down most of the money-related demands by public servants.

FILE: Thousands of public servants march in the Pretoria CBD as they make their way to Union Buildings on 10 August 2010. Picture: EWN

JOHANNESBURG - Government appears to be pushing ahead with its plan to explore scrapping some allowances and benefits afforded to public servants, including pay progression and the occupational specific dispensation.

Government’s proposal to labour during the latest round of wage negotiations, which deadlocked, proposes a holistic redesign of the remuneration framework among others as it turned down most of the money-related demands by public servants.

Friday’s tense talks deadlocked after organised labour raised its discontent with what they said was government’s attempts to erode workers’ hard-fought gains.

Although the government does not outright do away with the allowances in its counter-proposal that was seen by Eyewitness News, it states that according to the budget tabled in Parliament, only 1.4% has been budgeted for the wage bill to address employment growth and all other allowances and subsidies.

When this did not pass in negotiations, labour said that the employer instead suggested that all increases due for pay progressions and the other allowances be redirected to the cost-of-living adjustment which only addressed the salary increase demand.

Chairperson of the Cosatu public sector unions’ joint mandating committee, Mugwena Maluleke: "They are moving forward with the abolition of those benefits under the pretext that they want a new remuneration framework."

Labour has further rejected the 0% increase offered by government.

Following the deadlock, unions said that they will declare a dispute at the public sector coordinating bargaining council.

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