Acting Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxesi says government will ask for the intervention of the CCMA as a last resort to break the deadlock with organised labour.
Speaking during a media briefing at the Imbizo Centre in Parliament when he released the National framework towards the professionalisation of the Public Sector, Nxesi says the government’s final offer of an average of 7.5% remains available and has not been withdrawn as reported in the media.
The Public Servants Association told the SABC earlier that they were offered a 3% salary increase.
He says Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has written to him, informing him that there will not be another opportunity to implement funding for salary increases in the current year, once he has tabled his medium-term budget policy statement.
Nxesi says, ‘’It is therefore clear that to ensure that the public Servants are not disadvantaged and to safeguard the fiscal health of the country, the draft agreement has to be implemented before tabling of the 2022 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement tomorrow by the Minister of Finance.’’
National Framework
Minister Nxesi says the draft National Framework towards the Professionalisation of the Public Sector will ensure that competent and qualified individuals are appointed to positions of authority in the sector.
Accompanied by the Public Service Commission Chairperson Somadoda Fikeni, department officials and the Ministerial Advisory Panel, responsible for the drafting of the framework, the Minister says the introduction of the new framework was approved by Cabinet on the 19 of October.
Nxesi says this forms part of the government’s response to the State Capture report and building a capable, ethical and developmental state.
“On the nationalisation of the framework, this professionalisation framework takes a public sector-wide approach as we work towards a single public administration that applies to the National Provincial Local government and it seeks to ensure that only qualified and competent individuals are appointed into positions of authority in pursuit of the transformed, capable, ethical and developmental public administration, the Public Officials should have the right qualifications, technical skills and properly inducted into the Batho Pele principles.”
