Public sector wage fight: How long will the smoke and mirrors last?

The public sector wage talks have devolved into a showdown in which the government has used negative sentiment towards workers as its trump card.

The government, represented by acting Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxes, has repeated the claim that its offer to workers amounts to 7.5%, when the true figure is 3%.

It is not the first time the government has tried to advance this narrative, having paraded this number in a joint statement with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana last month. According to the government’s calculations, the R1 000 stipend included in the wage offer amounts to 4.5%, which, added to the 3%, amounts to 7.5%.

In the statement, the two ministers accused unions of peddling misinformation through the media.