COSATU rejects the proposed 4% salary increase for Public Office Bearers and demands the release of the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the Remuneration and Conditions of Service in the Public Service and Public Entities
The proposal by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers millionaire Political Office Bearers should have their salaries increased by 4% backdated to April 2017 is outrageous and absurd to say the least. We hope that President Jacob Zama will have the commonsense to reject those recommendations. Currently, there is no discernible reason for the Public Office Bearers in South Africa to be rewarded with any salary increases.
The political leadership in this country is currently unable to provide solutions to the country's triple crisis of unemployment, poverty and inequality. The nation 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. Out of a population of 56 million, around 13,8 million people are now living below the food poverty line of R17.38 per person per day ; with up to 30 million people living below R1000 a month.
The country’s fifth administration continues to preside over economic contraction and job-losses and therefore there is no reason for the people ,who are responsible for the current socio-economic crisis to be rewarded. To show solidarity with the poor and struggling people of this country ;they should reject the salary increases and demand a moratorium on their salary increases for the foreseeable future.
COSATU is also demanding that President Jacob Zuma release the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the Remuneration and Conditions of Service in the Public Service and Public Entities which was appointed in August 2013.The Commission was first announced in the 2013 State of the Nation Address and it is a farce that we are yet to get the full report, especially because now we are already busy with the public service wage negotiations. The original term of the Commission was eight months and was ultimately extended to April 2017.
This report would come in handy because it will allow all parties at the PSCBC to engage on some of its findings especially in relation to issues probed by the report like organisational development, job evaluation and grading, recruitment, appointment and promotion, human resource planning and performance management systems, policies and practices in the public service.
Statement issued by Sizwe Pamla, Cosatu National Spokesperson, 7 November 2017
