LETTER: Public service unions have let their members down
01 March 2022 - 17:42
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The Constitutional Court ruling that the state can back out of its 2018 wage deal with public service unions is a huge blow to SA’s 1.2-million public servants (“Constitutional Court’s wage ruling eases strain on Treasury”, February 28).
In the opinion of SA’s public servants, the court has sided with the employer and endorsed its economic consolidation plan. The whole country is in a dire situation, with everything going up, yet for the last two years there has been no salary increase for the workers.
What does this mean for bargaining councils? Are they no longer effective? Should public servants do away with them? Now that they have lost the case, how will this influence future collective agreements?
Collective bargaining is going to be rendered unserviceable. The employer has destabilised the process, and I foresee the public revolting against the state.
To make matters worse, for the past two years there has been no increase in contributions to the government pension fund. How can you have good working relations when you know that years down the line when it’s your time to retire, you won’t have enough money to take care of yourself?
Public service unions should pull up their socks and do better in fighting for the rights of public servants. Government workers will start to wonder why they have union representation if they embrace such questionable processes.
Phumzile Malatswane, Dawn Park
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Public service unions have let their members down
The Constitutional Court ruling that the state can back out of its 2018 wage deal with public service unions is a huge blow to SA’s 1.2-million public servants (“Constitutional Court’s wage ruling eases strain on Treasury”, February 28).
In the opinion of SA’s public servants, the court has sided with the employer and endorsed its economic consolidation plan. The whole country is in a dire situation, with everything going up, yet for the last two years there has been no salary increase for the workers.
What does this mean for bargaining councils? Are they no longer effective? Should public servants do away with them? Now that they have lost the case, how will this influence future collective agreements?
Collective bargaining is going to be rendered unserviceable. The employer has destabilised the process, and I foresee the public revolting against the state.
To make matters worse, for the past two years there has been no increase in contributions to the government pension fund. How can you have good working relations when you know that years down the line when it’s your time to retire, you won’t have enough money to take care of yourself?
Public service unions should pull up their socks and do better in fighting for the rights of public servants. Government workers will start to wonder why they have union representation if they embrace such questionable processes.
Phumzile Malatswane, Dawn Park
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Constitutional Court’s wage ruling eases strain on Treasury
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