Tshwane DA criticises municipality for agreeing to pay backdated salary hikes to employees

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane has criticised the municipality for agreeing to pay back-dated salary increases for employees, saying the move places the capital’s financial recovery in jeopardy. 

The Local Government Bargaining Council recently ordered the municipality to implement 3.5 percent salary increases for all its employees.

The salary bumps date back to the 2021/2022 financial year.

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When a DA-led coalition governed the City of Tshwane in 2022, it argued before the bargaining council that the municipality could not afford salary increases.

DA caucus leader and former mayor, Cilliers Brink, said the city’s financial position had not changed much since then.

"While the mayor [Nasiphi Moya] is overseas and Modise [Eugene Modise, MMC for finance] is acting as mayor, he unilaterally announces the municipality will pay R2 billion in backdated salary increases without even considering taking the matter on review into the Labour Court."

MMC for Finance Eugene Modise said the municipality would comply with the bargaining council’s order to implement the backdated salary increases. 

The move has been welcomed by the worker unions which represent the city’s more than 20,000 employees.

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