If the planned 9% contribution increase planned by the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) is not withdrawn, unions have warned that public servants will launch a nationwide protest, reports The Witness.
In a joint statement, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) said the increase would add financial pressure to state employees, and that it effectively cancels out recent wage adjustments, leaving them worse off.
GEMS had failed to respond to concerns raised by organised labour, including calls to reverse the hike, engage meaningfully with unions, and provide transparency on how the amounts were determined, they added.
While emphasising that they remain open to political, legal and negotiated solutions, they warned that failure to resolve would trigger large-scale protest action.
“If those efforts do not produce a meaningful outcome, organised labour is ready to mobilise for mass protest action that will bring the public service to a standstill,” they said in a statement.
Cosatu’s public sector co-ordinator, Itumeleng Molatlhegi, said GEMS has not responded positively to their demand since their initial engagement in December.
“In the next two weeks, we are expecting to have three critical meetings with the Public Administration Minister, the GEMS board of directors, and the Council of Medical Schemes. Our course of action will be determined by the outcomes of these three meetings,” said Molatlhegi.
GEMS is yet to comment.
Witness article – Unions threaten mass action over GEMS contribution increase (Open access)
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