Govt mulls proposal by PSCBC negotiators to hike public sector wages by 6%
The proposal is double government’s initial offer of 3%.
FILE: Enoch Godongwana, the South African Minister of Finance, delivers his mid-term budget policy statement in the Cape Town City Hall, which is being used as a venue for the South African Parliament, in Cape Town on 1 November 2023. Picture:AFP
JOHANNESBURG - The public sector wage bill is expected to remain an elephant in the room as government mulls a proposal by negotiators at the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) to hike wages by a total of 6% for the 2025/26 financial year.
This is double government’s initial offer of 3%.
Wage talks are currently underway, with the marathon negotiations running longer than expected.
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Trade unions representing more than 1.3 million teachers, police, nurses, and other public servants want a 12% increase.
Speaking at a media briefing before his public address, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said government still needed to err on the side of caution on the expenditure bill.
"The facilitation process came with a proposal – it’s not an agreement. It’s still a proposal that says we must move to 4.7% now and 1.3% in six months and it becomes 6%. It’s a proposal which we have not accepted."