The South African Revenue Service (Sars) says it remains committed to resolving the ongoing industrial action with organised labour.

In a statement, Sars says it does not determine its own budget, but relies on funding allocation from National Treasury. It is within this context that the revenue service commenced negotiations with its partners in labour.

After engaging with organised labour, Sars made a proposal to reach a final settlement based on the following principles:

1. An across-the-board increase of 1.5% for permanent employees in the bargaining unit, backdated to 1 April 2022.

2. The above is on condition that:
– Should the broader public sector negotiations be resolved at an increase of higher than the 1.5%, National Treasury will accordingly make additional funding available towards the settlement agreement;
– SARS will be guided by this, and adjust its offer to its employees to be on equal terms;

3. A commitment to engage and conclude the following at the SARS National Bargaining Forum (NBF):
– The broader Employee Value Proposition, which will include financial and non-financial elements;
– The other items tabled by the unions during the negotiations.

Sars says the slight adjustment to the across-the-board proposal is possible due to projected savings from a delay in recruitment against an initial plan.

“In the spirit of transparency and a commitment to resolving the dispute, Sars management has decided to allocate the savings towards the increased salary proposal,” the statement reads.

Parties agreed that the unions embark on a mandate-seeking process on this offer. Strike action was suspended by the Public Servants Association (PSA) during this mandate-seeking process, while Nehawu has not formally communicated its intentions.

The revenue service says it has ‘noted with concern various isolated incidents of intimidation and violence committed by some strikers’, and says the necessary action against strikers that are violating its code of conduct, and those who have broken the law will be taken.

Sars says that although it respects the right of employees to strike, they must abide by the law and exercise their right peacefully and respect the rights of employees who choose to work, as well as taxpayers who seek to fulfil their obligations in law.

The revenue service says it has put contingency measures in place to mitigate the negative impact on services as far as possible.

“We thank taxpayers for their patience during this challenging period and apologise for any delayed response to service requests. We request taxpayers and traders, as far as possible, to avoid coming to branches, but to instead continue to interact with Sars through our self-help digital channels.”

The movement of cargo from the land and seaports of entry have continued without any hindrance.