Govt raises civil servant pay offer to 4.7%

The government has raised its offer for salary increases to the country's civil servants to 4.7%, well short of a demand by labour unions representing 1.3 million state workers.

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The offer was increased from 3% after the government rejected an initial demand by public servants for a 12% increase in the fiscal year that begins on 1 April, according to Frikkie de Bruin, general secretary of the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council.

Labour unions have lowered their demand to 7.5% after a facilitation process aimed at helping the two sides come to an agreement, he said on Tuesday.

"There's some progress that was made," De Bruin said.