The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Monday called on the government to expand the public service rather than reduce it.
Cosatu representative Patrick Craven said that the trade union rejected the notion that in order for the public service to function and achieve it should be reduced.
Craven said the ongoing talks in the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) on the agenda for the Growth and Development Summit should include the public sector. The government, labour, business and NGOs are currently in talks to formulate the agenda for the Growth and Development summit, scheduled for June 7. The Nedlac talks are expected to end on Friday and a document will be compiled if the parties agree on the agenda.
“We agree that changes are necessary in the public sector but we feel that the public sector should be expanded rather than reduced,” Craven said.
He added that the union believes that there is an urgent need to expand the role of the public sector in developing the economy of the country and improving the lives of communities.
“Talks are progressing in Nedlac and we hope that the main priority will be job creation, public sector and poverty alleviation. Firm proposals should come out of these talks and should be linked together for the summit,” he added.
Cosatu has also welcomed and applauded a statement by the Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya condemning the cutting down of the public service.
Speaking in the National Council of Provinces, Skweyiya said: “I think that the position taken by Cosatu was right and it is becoming clearer today that we do not need to cut down the public service. We need to increase it.”
He added that: “We need to train people and ensure that they have got the right skills so that we are able to deliver to our people as we are supposed to be delivering.”
Cosatu and its affiliates in the public sector said they have always agreed that there was a need to reform and restructure the public service inherited from the old regime, in order to improve and accelerate the delivery of services, especially to the poor.
The union added that it was pleased that the minister agrees with it that the public service cannot afford to lose more capacity if it is to carry out the tasks the government is committed to. – I-Net Bridge