HOW WILL GOVT RESOLVE WAGE BILL DILEMMA?

LOBAMBA – The Ministry of Public Service needs a miracle. This is if it hopes to strike a balance between keeping both civil servants and government advisors happy on issues that touch on the wage bill.

 Senators were curious to know how the ministry would be able to accomplish this, as civil servants want a cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA), while international bodies wanted the wage bill lowered.

This was during the ministry’s budget debate by its Senate Portfolio Committee yesterday.
Senator Adam ‘Bomber’ Mthethwa wanted to know how the ministry would be able to maintain a harmonious industrial relationship with civil servants regarding the COLA issue.

Mthethwa said although he understood the ministry’s predicament, he wondered if it was proper that there was a zero per cent offer for civil servants. He submitted that the inflation had increased, as so had commodities.

Senator Chief Ngome Ndlangamandla also asked the minister if the ministry still maintained its zero per cent offer to civil servants. Ndlangamandla said he understood that the economy was not doing well but the issue needed to be addressed.
 He further wanted the minister to address the issue of maintaining government houses. He said government had nice structures but were let down by maintenance.

“We can see that government is doing something about providing housing to civil servants, but has the maintenance issue been fixed?” Ndlangamandla asked. Senator Ndumiso Mdluli wondered when the ministry would start inspecting government houses to bust illegal occupants. He said housing was a challenge which the ministry needed to address quickly as many civil servants, especially teachers, had no accommodation. He further called for a policy which would have civil servants moved from houses they occupied before they were transferred to other departments.

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