BOFEPUSU demands back-pays
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday August 8, 2017 18:00
Following a protracted battle between BOFEPUSU and the employer over government’s decision to make unilateral salary increment for public workers, the parties settled for a consent order before Justice Tshepho Motswagole in June 2017, agreeing that government should pay the BOFEPUSU members the three and four percent increase awarded to other public workers for financial year 2016/17 and 2017/18.
The order was however subject to BOFEPUSU issuing a rebuttal statement clarifying an article that appeared in The Patriot on Sunday newspaper edition of May 27.
The federation yesterday stated that it wrote a letter to the Director of the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM), Ruth Maphorisa indicating the necessity to pay the increment arrears to its members for purposes of equity among public officers, but are yet to receive her response.
Their letter dated July 21 reads: “It is common cause that public servants belonging to trade unions of BOFEPUSU being BOSETU, BLLAHWU and NALGCCPPWU were paid salary adjustments for financial years 2016/17 and 2017/18 in June 2017.
It ought to be noted that the payment of the stated salary increment did not include arrears of financial year 2016/17 which effected on 1st April 2016 and 2017/18 which effected in 1st April 2017.
It is on that basis that we request for a meeting of the stated arrears of salary increment to categories of employees mentioned.”
“We have done all the requirements that court has ordered us to do, but DPSM has been quite. As BOFEPUSU, we want DPSM to pay our members as per agreement,” BOFEPUSU secretary general, Tobokani Rari said.
In an interview yesterday, Maphorisa said they would respond accordingly.
“We will respond to their letter. Again there were things they were supposed to have done. If you want more details on the matter send a questionnaire. BOFEPUSU should not communicate to us through media,” she said.
In court, each party agreed to pay its own costs and in respect of the contempt application, the applicants would pay 55% of the costs the respondents – DPSM, Attorney General.
In addition, the order said government would, after the statement had been published, pay the three per cent and four per cent salary increments to members of BOFEPUSU with effect from yesterday.
Payment shall be made in accordance with the Public Service Management Directive No.4 of 2017.