GEMS is currently the largest restricted medical scheme in South Africa. It serves nearly 2.45 million beneficiaries. Membership is strictly limited to public servants and their dependants. To encourage membership, government departments provide subsidies of up to two-thirds of the monthly cost. However, this benefit is only available to those who remain with GEMS. The current conflict stems from GEMS’…
Tag: Trade Unions
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GEMS Contribution Increase Sparks Union Backlash
Trade unions in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) have rejected the Government Employees Medical Scheme’s (GEMS) decision to raise member contributions in 2026. The scheme implemented a 9.8% increase from January 2026. It will then apply a revised 9.5% increase from 1 April 2026. Unions say the hikes are economically unjustifiable and socially regressive. They argue the increases…
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NUMSA Agreement Secures Pharmaceutical Worker Pay Increases
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has successfully negotiated a two-year wage agreement with employers in the nation’s burgeoning pharmaceutical sector. This negotiation secures significant pay increases and improved benefits for approximately 10,000 workers. The NUMSA agreement averts potential industrial action. It brings stability to a market projected to generate revenues of $3.47 billion in 2025. Details…
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Public Servant Concerns on Redirecting Medical Aid Contributions
Plans to redirect South African public servants’ significant medical scheme contributions into the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) fund face considerable hurdles. Delegates at the annual Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) conference heard this on Tuesday. Any such move would necessitate complex changes to public servants’ conditions of service. Staunch resistance to this process is likely. Public servants currently benefit…