The Public Servants Association (PSA) says it remains open to further talks on the current pay impasse if the government is prepared to drop its original offer.
Public sector unions have confirmed they are holding a vote among their members this week on whether to launch their first full-scale strike in more than a decade.
Unions are demanding a 6.5% wage increase, while the government is offering 2%.
PSA spokesman Claude Naiker says, “Most of the unions in the state have said, ‘look, we can talk, we can negotiate, if you start with at least a 3% base increase,’ and they’ve indicated that it can only be achieved through austerity measures.’
“So the next meeting is this week and we hope they will come up with a better offer than 2%. If they come up with 3%, we still have to communicate that to our members and the members have to decide if 3% is the best alternative,” says Naiker.
Civil servants are demoralized due to negative pressures such as unfair pay
