Public Sector unions held two pickets outside the makeshift Parliament at the Cape Town City Hall in Cape Town as well as outside the National Treasury offices in Pretoria respectively on Wednesday ahead of the delivery of the Austerity Budget by Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwane.
Workers made their voices heard on the day as hundreds of them converged on the two venues to voice their anger over the continued cuts of budget in provincial departments, as means to fufill the Finance Ministry’s commitment to what it calls consolidation on personnel and cutting of bonuses, a moratorium on hiring of staff amongst others and curbing on fair adjustment of salaries for public servants.
Workers have voiced their unhappiness over the continued deteriorating conditions of service in the workplace.
The unions in the public sector were also due to submit their seven-day notice to the employer for an indefinite strike.
DENOSA Deputy General Secretary, Khaya Sodidi, told the workers that, after the notice has been submitted, they will await the government response to their notice. If from the response, there is nothing that makes workers unhappy, then the organized labour will forge ahead with its programme of action, where workers will be briefed by their respective unions on the way forward.
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Sibongiseni Delihlazo
