The largest union at the SA Revenue Service (Sars) has suspended its strike for higher pay pending the outcome of talks with the tax-collection agency.
About 6,000 Sars staff members affiliated to the Public Servants Association (PSA) returned to work on Friday. But the 5,400 members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) are pressing on with their strike.
Nehawu and PSA downed tools on May 25, demanding increases of 11.5% and 12% respectively. Nehawu has rejected the employer’s revised offer of R500m, saying it translates only to a rise of 1.3% and a one-off R3,000 cash gratuity.
The employer previously offered no increase. Unions rejected that stance, making demands higher than the 5.9% headline inflation rate the Reserve Bank forecasts for 2022.
On Wednesday, Business Day visited Sars offices in the Johannesburg and Randburg CBDs, where operations appeared to be running normally. There were no picketing workers in sight and no long queues. Security personnel based at the offices said operations and services were continuing as usual.
A Sars call-centre agent said services are running smoothly. but people had to book to visit branches in line with Covid-19 protocols limiting the number of visitors.
“At the moment we are not affected by the strike action. We do everything online and telephonically,” said tax practitioner Tshepiso Moshapo, owner of TKM Secretaries and Tax Consultants. Sars has said disruption of operations is minimal thanks to the wide range of online services.
PSA assistant GM Reuben Maleka said his association had put the strike on hold pending a response from the employer on demands handed to the agency’s management on May 25. “Our members are back at work. We expect a response from the employer on Monday or Tuesday next week,” he said.
Nehawu deputy president December Mavuso said the Cosatu affiliate had not suspended the wage strike, and talks with
Sars were continuing.
Sars spokesperson Siphithi Sibeko said unions requested a meeting to try to resolve the pay strike. “For now there is no movement,” said Sibeko. “We will see after this process what’s going to happen.”
Sars employs about 13,000 people. Pay costing nearly R8bn a year is the biggest item in its total expenditure of R11.7bn.
The employer has offered unions R70m to fund pay rises and R430m as a one-off gratuity payment for 2021/2022. The R500m offer is set out in a confidential document seen by Business Day.
In April, Sars reported a R16.7bn surplus in revenue from what was estimated in the February budget. Altogether R1.563-trillion was collected, amounting to a 25% year-on-year increase.
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