Nehawu up in arms over state pay freeze
Tackle wasteful expenditure to plug budget deficit instead of penalising public sector workers, says Nehawu
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) says it is ready to fight attempts by the Treasury to cap the public sector wage bill by freezing salaries. The union said it would also oppose suggestions that its members only receive wage hikes related to the consumer price index (CPI). Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba was quoted in Sunday’s City Press as saying he was considering freezing the salaries of senior public employees from middle management upwards. "That is not going to happen," said Nehawu deputy general secretary December Mavuso. Nehawu said Gigaba should rather tackle cases of wasteful expenditure in order to cut back on government spending amid a R50bn budget shortfall. "Workers are not stupid, communities are not stupid. We can’t be blackmailed…. If it comes to a crunch, we are going to fight," said Mavuso. The union berated the government for including the Cabinet’s plans for public sector wage issues in the medium-term budget policy statement, sayi...
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