According to the mid-term budget delivered by Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni,

Public sector remuneration for some 1.3 million civil servants accounts for over 96% of the increase in spending, with public wage bill accounting for 40% of total government expenditure.

Just as government reneged on its 2018 wage agreement with civil servants, by not implementing a wage hike in the final year, government is now proposing another wage freeze for the next three years.The Public Servants Association says the Finance Minister’s statements on public service salaries are an “outright declaration of war against labour” in the public service.

Bongani speaks to Reuben Maleka, Assistant General Manager at the Public Servants Association.