The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) have criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to approve salary increases for public office-bearers, saying the adjustments are out of touch with the economic realities facing ordinary South Africans.
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Ramaphosa approved increases of 3.5% and 4% for different categories of public office-bearers, following recommendations by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers.
Nehawu described the decision as unprincipled and insensitive, arguing that public representatives should not receive increases while workers continue to face difficult working conditions, inadequate staffing, and persistent remuneration challenges.
In a statement, the union said the increases came at a time when millions of South Africans were struggling with unemployment, poverty, inequality and the rising cost of living.
It argued that the decision sends a troubling message about the priorities of public leadership, particularly against the background of weak economic growth and continued pressure on public finances.
The union also blamed austerity measures for weakening the state’s capacity to deliver essential services.
The union said years of budget cuts, frozen vacancies and the failure to fill critical posts have left public servants working under increasingly difficult conditions, often without adequate human and material resources.
“Public Office Bearers should not be exempted from the conditions and plight that confront the rest of the country,” Nehawu said.
The union has called on Ramaphosa to reconsider his decision and urged the government to prioritise the country’s pressing socio-economic challenges.
Cosatu has also criticised the increases, particularly the 3.5% adjustment for Members of Parliament, provincial legislators and municipal councillors.
The federation acknowledged that government had reduced the commission’s initial recommendation of a 4.1% increase for public representatives, but said the approved adjustment remained excessive.
Cosatu said the increase sent the wrong message to a public increasingly frustrated by the performance of political leaders and the state of service delivery.
It also questioned the decision to allocate additional funding to remunerate politicians while government continued to face financial constraints in meeting its constitutional obligations.
The federation expressed particular concern about the inclusion of 9,331 municipal councillors, given the deterioration of municipal finances and services in many parts of the country.
It pointed to municipalities struggling to pay employees’ salaries, pensions, medical aid contributions and taxes, with some facing the risk of collapse.
Cosatu said the additional R536 million allocated to fund the salaries of politicians, commissioners and judges could instead be directed towards employing more frontline workers.
“It defies logic that at a time when the state does not have money to fulfil many of its constitutional mandates, government has endorsed this tone-deaf proposal,” the federation said.
It argued that government should prioritise the recruitment of doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers and other essential workers to strengthen service delivery.
Cosatu has, however, distinguished between the increases approved for different categories of public office-bearers. While opposing the adjustment for politicians, it said it supported the 4% increase for magistrates, citing the need to retain skilled professionals and prevent further pressure on an already overburdened judicial system.
The federation also called for changes to the remuneration process, arguing that the commission should be required to publish its proposals for public comment before submitting recommendations to the President.
It further wants future salary adjustments to be linked to the performance of public representatives and the institutions they oversee.
Cosatu Parliamentary Coordinator Matthew Parks said public funds came from workers’ taxes and that taxpayers should be given an opportunity to make their views heard before increases were approved.
Source: https://www.jacarandafm.com/news/news/nehawu-cosatu-criticise-increase-for-office-bearers/