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[File Image]: Cosatu members during a protest.
Public sector workers are demanding a speedy resolution to the current Budget standoff as many government departments are already in crisis.
Parliament will kick off public hearings into the Budget on Tuesday with Cosatu hoping to add its voice on behalf of workers.
Unions say their members are facing a slew of challenges including a shortage of staff, dilapidated infrastructure and inadequate wages.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced a R23 billion additional funding to cover the 5,5% public servants’ salary increase in the next three years with the workers expecting this increase to come into effect next week Tuesday.
Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says they are skeptical of the budget being passed on April 1st, but want the agreement honoured.
“We do need the budget passed. We can’t afford a crisis of budgets not passed; or certain time frames, you know, 30 days, 90 days, (and) so on for different states of the budget to be passed. Days to passed. (We) can’t afford for the state’s legal not to be told to spend money. We can’t afford for the state and not to be able to collect their money; it needs to fund public services. But the critical one, the most critical one now, there is tomorrow, where we’ll make our submissions as Cosatu on what we think needs to be retained in the budget. For example, the key progressive items, which you think are going to help workers, like the public sector wage agreement, like filling critical frontline vacancies in the state, reinforcing frontline departments, which had been really decimated by austerity budget cuts over the years,” says Parks.
Video: Public Sector Wage Deal – To be effected once Budget 2025 approved
