Pretoria - The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) on Thursday said it has revised its wage offer to 5.4% based on a multiyear agreement, while unions have tabled a revised demand of 11% during the second round of salary and wage negotiations.
SALGA is acting on behalf of 278 municipalities countrywide. The association said it has made progress in the second round of negotiations for the sector.
“For the first time in this round of negotiations, the parties have recognised the complexity of the union’s demands in relation to the housing allowance in the sector.
“As a result, there is consensus that more time is needed to examine possible solutions to the matter learning from the experiences of provincial and national government. Therefore, a process has been agreed upon by the parties to consider the matter,” SALGA said.
The second round of negotiations took place against a background of recent setbacks for local government, such as the withholding of the equitable share, which is relied upon by municipalities for the provision of basic services to communities.
SALGA said the setback is in addition to existing challenges confronting municipalities such as a declining revenue base, productivity levels that are not responsive to the demands of service delivery and the impact of load shedding, which has in itself negatively affected income levels.
“As SALGA, we continue to approach these negotiations in a transparent, consistent and honest manner with the interest of municipalities and communities in our minds,” it said.
SALGA said it tabled a proposal for a service charter for the sector and proposed that it be concluded during the current round of negotiations so that parties can express their commitment to improve service delivery to the benefit of all citizens of South Africa, improve good governance and fight corruption. - SAnews.gov.za
