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South Africa’s public service unions will strike work next week over wages. Importantly, this comes a month before a crucial deadline for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s political future. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) will meet in mid-December to decide whether to endorse Ramaphosa for a second term in the 2024 presidential election by re-electing him as party president.
Trade unions representing hundreds of thousands of public sector employees have announced demonstrations outside hospitals, at ports, and at government, buildings to express their anguish against the rapid increase in the cost of living. The government wants civil servants to settle for increases that are lower than inflation, much to the consternation of the trade unions, which wants 100% neutralization. South Africa’s inflation was 7.5% in September, down from a peak of 7.8% in July.
Also Read:
https://trendsnafrica.com/south-african-trade-unions-get-a-jolt-from-labor-appeal-court/
https://trendsnafrica.com/trade-unions-in-south-africa-protests-against-anti-labor-polices-of-saa/
South Africa’s economy has recently been hit hard by several weeks of rail and port service strikes. This affected the country’s export of mineral and fresh fruit exports. Despite these untoward developments looming over his re-election, political analysts feel that Ramaphosa has a fair chance of getting renominated by the ANC for another term. Even now, he has a large number of followers in the ruling party, who feels that he Has been steering the country in a most difficult trajectory upfront with the continuous recession, coupled with unexpected developments like the Covid-19 pandemic and Russian -Ukraine conflict. Ramaphosa walked a tightrope balancing the economic diplomatic interests of his country by gravitating both with Russia and the West.
