Public wage bill
Public wage bill a major issue for Mboweni, trade unions ahead of Budget speech
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has made no secret of his intention to slash the bill, which tripled between 2007 and 2019.
The commission is instead advocating for a variety of methods to ensure the public service met its primary goal of service delivery.
The public wage bill again came under the spotlight in Parliament on Friday.
The country’s economy slipped into a technical recession after a decline in GDP of 1.4% in the fourth quarter of last year. Overall growth for 2019 was dismal at just 0.2%.
Although government stressed that the cuts in the public service were among many other measures to curb public spending, unions representing civil society workers felt targeted.
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni is delivering his Budget Speech in the National Assembly.
Ramaphosa said the government needs to do the opposite and employ more in some sectors where there is a shortage of staff.
Minister Tito Mboweni said some of the funds being spent on the Public Service Wage Bill need to be redirected and much-needed funding is going to schools.