COSATU is amazed by Minister Gigaba’s support for the 4% salary adjustment for millionaire Political Office Bearers

13 November 2017

COSATU is amazed by the Minister of Finance Malusi Gigaba’s explicit support for the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers proposal that our millionaire Political Office Bearers should be given 4% salary increases backdated to April 2017.

It is fascinating to see that despite the talk of an economic crisis and a ballooning public sector wage bill; there is still enough money to adjust the salaries of our well paid Political Office Bearers. The Minister of Finance’s endorsement of this proposed wage increase will give considerable comfort to nurses, teachers , police and other lowly public servants , who are currently asking for a salary increase of between 10-12% on a sliding scale. We expect that what is good for the goose should be good for the gander.

The Minister though needs to explain government’s austerity measures and the freezing of public service posts to the citizens because if there is money for our well paid political principals, then there should be enough money for service delivery. The poor and unemployed of this country should be taken into confidence by the minister about the nature of our economic crisis because it cannot be that they are told about belt tightening , while politicians , judges, traditional leaders are getting salary increases.

For a nation that is struggling with the real unemployment rate of 38%, with close to 10 million people struggling to get jobs and 17 million people on welfare, the minister has a lot of explaining to do. We hope that the minister has enough in his kitty to also come to the rescue of the around 13,8 million people ,who are now living below the food poverty line of R17.38 per person per day.

Issued by Sizwe Pamla, National Spokesperson, COSATU, 13 November 2017