The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration/Performance Monitoring and Evaluation welcomes the new wage agreement reached between Public Sector Unions and government following a dispute which prompted the unions to withdraw from the initial agreement.
The new agreement signals a step in the right direction in mending relations between the state and its most essential component, labour. While this is the case, the Committee is alarmed that the impasse arose in the first place.
“While the Committee is not in a position to apportion fault for the impasse, it is of the view that both parties must ensure that such a disagreement never occurs again. The stalemate had the potential of threatening progress that took so many months to achieve. The consequences would have been far reaching with a direct impact on the quality of services delivered to the people of this country,” said Mrs Bertha Mabe, the Chairperson of the Committee.
The Committee is delighted that both labour and government found each other culminating in the signing of this new agreement. This will enable an environment conducive for the delivery of quality services to all South Africans. The Committee is of the view that the new agreement continues to capture the spirit of the initial agreement, in that unions accepted increases that would not put an undue burden on the fiscus.
The Committee will on its part continue to engage with the Presidential Remuneration Review Commission that is aimed at reviewing conditions of service and remuneration of public servants and aligning them with international benchmarks. The Committee considers the work of this Commission is central in creating a professional public service as envisaged by the National Development Plan.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact:
Malatswa Evans Molepo (Mr)
Tel: 021 403 8438
Cell: 081 512 7920
E-mail: mmolepo@parliament.gov.za
