BHEKI NTSHALINTSHALI: Neoliberal Treasury is making workers pay for politicians’ errors
Cutting back the number of public servants will increase unemployment and reduce the chances of recovery
The government offensive against public service employees, led by the Treasury, is alarming but not surprising. Public service employees are being unfairly singled out and targeted, with a narrative being created that the public sector wage bill is threatening the state’s survival even though it is, in fact, stable and in line with international norms at 35% of the consolidated budget.
More troubling than the Treasury targeting the public service wage bill in its efforts to reduce the budget deficit is that the focus is on the lower levels of the hierarchy rather than the bloated managerial or executive levels. The Treasury wants a spending ceiling or limit to be imposed on the wage bill, covering both national and provincial government departments...
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