Starting today, Monday, October 21, 2024, members of the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) will go on strike indefinitely.

Despite multiple attempts to address the matter, the government has not complied with their demands for institution-specific allowances, which has prompted the strike action.

The government's unwillingness to honor these allowances has angered the PSWU, which claims that it has made things more expensive for public servants.

The union has been advocating for the introduction of benefits that take into account the particular difficulties that its members encounter in particular establishments.

The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) asked the PSWU to reevaluate its decision in light of the upcoming strike. The FWSC said on Thursday, October 17, that the strike will impede future talks on the issue and interfere with ongoing negotiations.

The FWSC claims that if the union chooses to take industrial action, it will be challenging to have fruitful talks.

Concerns have also been expressed by the PSWU regarding the postponed execution of suggestions put forth by a nine-member committee that was established by the government in 2022 to examine the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP). The union decided to go on strike because these suggestions, which were meant to address the issues with compensation in the public sector, have not yet been implemented.

In a statement released on October 17, the FWSC reaffirmed its desire to engage in further talks but stressed that if the strike continued, progress would be impeded.

“It is important to emphasise 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. FWSC, therefore, calls on PSWU to rescind their decision so that the negotiation can continue.”

The FWSC contended that PSWU's decision to go on strike violated both the Labour Act, Act 651, and the signed rules of engagement.

It claimed that, as it must adhere to the procedures in order to obtain a mandate and wrap up talks, it cannot be held responsible for negotiations' delays.

“On 28th September 2024, FWSC submitted cost implication scenarios on the two (2) institution-specific allowances requested by PSWU for member organisations that do not receive institution-specific allowances to the Ministry of Finance.

“Therefore, FWSC cannot be cited for unduly delaying negotiations since the Commission has to follow the necessary processes to secure mandate and conclude negotiations. FWSC wishes to state that the decision to embark on strike from 21st October 2024 is against the Rules of Engagement signed and the Labour Act, Act 651, when negotiation is ongoing.”