BLLAHWU To Sue Gov't For 'Breach' Of Agreement

Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday June 15, 2020 16:31

 

BLLAHWU To Sue Gov't For 'Breach' Of Agreement

According to a letter of intension to sue issued recently through their attorneys, demand has been made to the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) to increase salaries of its members by 10% for scales A and B and six percent for scales C and D. The union also wants DPSM to pay salary increment arrears from April 1, 2020 as well as interest at 10% from date of mora.

This is after government deferred salary increments for 2020-2021 financial year and appealed to the unions to accept such a position due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

BLLAHWU, which broke rank with other unions when it asked to be excluded from the salary deferment and demanded performance in terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, is claiming that DPSM breached the agreement by unilaterally changing the date of accruement of the salary increment contrary to what was initially stated.

It also contends that the employer failed to pay a salary increment to its members on or around April 1, 2020 as stipulated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

It argued that it was wrong for government to defer salary increment after the Minister of Finance and Economic Development had announced that the increment had been budgeted for and would therefore be paid as and when it would become due.

“Owing to your breach of the contract above, Clients’ members stand to suffer as the increment that ought to have accrued on April 1 would have meant an increase in the investments at pension funds due to a greater amount from both the employer and employee and would have benefited the claimant’s members in the long run,” read the notice papers.

The union also stated that the deferment of the increment reduces the benefits that ought to rightfully accrue to its members.