Thanks for the comment @luckylie. I enquired about the whole fiasco and one gets to almost understand the frustration among the staff.

They reckon that the 1% hike in VAT affects their groceries, transport, schooling, etc. They approached the department who offered 3% increase. They haven't had an increase in quite a while. In their opinion, this is the only way they get attention. I'm not sure if I can argue this...