STAFF REPORTER|
THE largest health sector union, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) has called on the Minister of Public Service and Administration Senzo Mchunu to step aside after his failure to resolve the current public service wage negotiations deadlock.
This come after Mchunu’s statement last week calling for proposals from the public to help resolve the deadlocked public sector wage negotiations.
Public unions are demanding that government honours its three-year wage agreement.
As part of the 2018 three-year salary agreement, public sector workers would have received a CPI+1% salary increase in 2020.
“If the Minister feels that he must outsource his responsibilities to the public then President Cyril Ramaphosa must relieve him of his duties,” said Nehawu spokesperson Khaya Xaba in a statement.
“Once again we call on the Minister to desist from this silly stunt as if public servants are not members of the public who are working hard to provide for their families. Members of the public were not there at the negotiations at the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) when the 2018 wage agreement was concluded.”
“Moreover, members of the public were not there when the government insisted on a three year agreement when unions were demanding a single term agreement. It baffles us that now the Minister wants to involve innocent members of the public in cleaning up the mess created by the government.”
Nehawu said no unions worth its salt would allow its members and workers to be subjected to a life of poverty because of slave wages.
“Government cannot continue to be a safe haven for Ministers who have no clue what they are doing. Incompetent Ministers are in part responsible for the service delivery challenges that we have been experiencing for years on end,” said Xaba.
He added that NEHAWU will not allow both the Department of Public Service and Administration and National Treasury to use workers as scapegoats for problems in the fiscus.
“Workers can no longer be punished for sins not of their making,” said Xaba.
“The Minister must tell the public how much money the government lost through wasteful and fruitless expenditure by all levels of government. He must address the public how the shambolically managed State Owned Entities (SOEs) haemorrhaged funds meant for service delivery and the betterment of the lives of all South Africans.”
Nehawu added that government has proven beyond reasonable doubt that they have no appetite to resolve the current impasse amicably.
“As NEHAWU, we believe that our solution moving forward is to mobilise all our members for a full blown strike which will render the government ungovernable and unfortunately pause all service delivery in the public service,” the union said in a statement.
- Inside Politics
