Budget ‘threats’ to public servants misplaced - PSA
The Public Servants Association (PSA) believes Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s emergency budget ignored the economic realities facing South Africa.
Mboweni tabled the supplementary budget, which was drawn up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, during a hybrid sitting on Parliament on Wednesday.
The trade union, which represents more than 240 000 public sector employees, has vowed to oppose any plan which will impact on public servants' job security.
"In a country where the majority of citizens owing to, amongst others, rising unemployment depends on the public sector as they cannot afford private education, security, and health care, government’s threat to reduce the public sector is misplaced," a statement says.
The union does however with Mboweni that public finances are dangerously overstretched.
"Government’s passive approach towards eliminating ongoing fraud and corruption has cost the country’s citizens dearly with Covid-19 merely compounding the crisis.
“In addition, the minister’s statement that government values the ‘important work public servants do’ seems empty in the absence of a firm commitment to ensure that the salary agreement that would have offered these employees meagre salary increases is honoured.”
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