Members of the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) have initiated an indefinite strike starting Monday, October 21, 2024, after prolonged frustration with the government’s failure to address their demands for institution-specific allowances. Despite numerous attempts to resolve the issue, the government has not met the union’s expectations, leading to this decisive action.
The PSWU, which represents a significant portion of public service workers, has been advocating for allowances that reflect the unique challenges faced by its members across different institutions. These allowances are crucial in addressing the financial strain on public sector workers, which has worsened due to the government’s inaction. The union has emphasized that these allowances would help to mitigate the increasing financial burdens that public workers experience, particularly those in sectors with more demanding or specific requirements.
Union leaders expressed frustration at the government’s failure to honor their demands, pointing out that multiple engagements and efforts to negotiate have not yielded any meaningful results. The PSWU has made it clear that the failure to implement the necessary allowances has become untenable for its members, pushing them toward industrial action as a last resort.
In response to the impending strike, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) urged the PSWU to reconsider its decision, highlighting that the strike would negatively impact ongoing negotiations. On Thursday, October 17, the FWSC issued a statement noting that the strike action would prevent further discussions from taking place, hindering any chance of progress in resolving the dispute.
The FWSC stressed that meaningful negotiations could not continue if the union proceeded with the strike. The commission warned that such action would delay the process of finding a solution and urged the union to return to the negotiation table. “It is important to emphasize that embarking on strike action would rather cause delays in the negotiations since engagement cannot continue while a party at the negotiation table is on strike,” the FWSC statement read.
The commission also emphasized that it had been making efforts to facilitate a resolution. According to the FWSC, the delays in addressing the union’s concerns cannot be blamed solely on the commission, as it must follow the necessary processes to secure a mandate and conclude negotiations. In particular, the commission pointed to its submission of cost implication scenarios related to the institution-specific allowances requested by the PSWU.
“On 28th September 2024, FWSC submitted cost implication scenarios on the two institution-specific allowances requested by PSWU for member organizations that do not receive institution-specific allowances to the Ministry of Finance,” the FWSC noted. The commission highlighted that it has been working diligently within the framework of the negotiation process and cannot be accused of causing unnecessary delays.
The PSWU’s grievances, however, extend beyond just the issue of institution-specific allowances. The union has also expressed dissatisfaction with the delayed implementation of recommendations made by a nine-member committee appointed by the government in 2022 to review the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP). The SSPP, which was designed to address pay disparities and compensation challenges within the public sector, has been the subject of scrutiny for several years. The committee’s recommendations were intended to rectify some of these issues, but the union contends that the government has yet to act on them, further exacerbating their concerns.
The PSWU argues that the lack of progress on these fronts has left its members in an increasingly difficult position, forcing them to take drastic action to secure their rights and financial well-being. The union’s decision to strike, they argue, is not taken lightly but is a necessary step to press the government to take
