Tshwane wage strike: Mayor Brink must prioritise fiscal responsibility, not yield to organised extortion
Scroll af vir Afrikaanse weergawe.
‘There simply is not enough money to afford the increase, and there are better things to spend public money on.’ - Martin van Staden, Head of Policy, Free Market Foundation
Reports revealing that the Mayor of Tshwane, Cilliers Brink, has remained steadfast in his decision not to yield to unreasonable union wage demands in the municipality are to be welcomed. The Free Market Foundation (FMF) urges the City to remain resolute as strike action continues.
‘No sphere of government in South Africa is in an economic position to reward underworked civil servants with more pay. Policy-induced economic contraction, through phenomena like the energy crisis and increasing disinvestment, necessitates a new, far stricter fiscal responsibility. It is not for the state to act as an employment service for labour unions, much less for those unions to engage in organised disruption when their demands are denied based on sound reasoning: there simply is not enough money to afford the increase, and there are better things to spend public money on’, says Van Staden.
‘What the public sector wage bill represents to the fiscus across all three spheres of government is not concomitant with the value taxpayers are receiving,’ adds Van Staden.
Ratepayers’ understandable desire to bring this significant disruption in Tshwane to an end is what the unions are betting on. The City should be uncompromising, as giving in now will just embolden the public sector unions to continue their plundering of public treasuries around the country.
This is particularly relevant in the context of the upcoming 2024 general election, which will likely see more reform-minded governments coming to power, if not nationally, in some provinces.
If this does happen, these reformist governments will face an embedded and politically hostile unionised civil service that will seek to sabotage reform efforts. One of the methods to achieve this will be to demand ever-increasing wages when the fiscally responsible thing to do in South Africa’s current economic malaise is to radically cut not only the wages civil servants enjoy across all three spheres of government, but also cut the absolute size of the civil service as well.
This will not be easy as is, for any reformist government, but it will be even harder if opposition governments like the one in Tshwane compromises today.
Ends.
Media enquiries
Anneke Burns
FMF Public Relations
0714230079
***
Pretoria-loonstaking: Burgemeester Brink moet fiskale verantwoordelikheid prioritiseer, nie toegee aan georganiseerde afpersing nie
Scroll up for English version.
‘Daar is eenvoudig nie genoeg geld om die verhoging te bekostig nie, en daar is beter dinge om openbare geld aan te bestee.’ – Martin van Staden, Beleidshoof, Vryemarkstigting
Berigte dat die burgemeester van Tshwane, Cilliers Brink, onwrikbaar bly in sy besluit om nie toe te gee aan onredelike looneise van die vakbonde in dié munisipaliteit nie, moet verwelkom word. Die Vryemarkstigting (FMF) doen 'n beroep op die Stad om vasberade te bly terwyl stakingsaksies voortduur.
‘Geen regeringsfeer in Suid-Afrika is in ’n ekonomiese posisie om onderwerkte staatsamptenare met hoër lone te beloon nie. Beleidsgeïnduseerde ekonomiese inkrimping, deur verskynsels soos die energiekrisis en toenemende disinvestering, noodsaak ‘n nuwe, veel strenger fiskale verantwoordelikheid. Dit is nie vir die staat om as 'n indiensnemingsdiens vir vakbonde op te tree nie, nog minder vir daardie vakbonde om betrokke te raak by georganiseerde ontwrigting wanneer hul eise geweier word op grond van goeie redenasie: daar is eenvoudig nie genoeg geld om die verhoging te bekostig nie, en daar is beter dinge om openbare geld aan te bestee’, sê Van Staden.
‘Wat die openbare sektor se loonrekening vir die fiskus oor al drie sfere van die regering verteenwoordig, stem nie ooreen met die waarde wat belastingbetalers ontvang nie,’ voeg Van Staden by.
Belastingbetalers se verstaanbare begeerte om hierdie beduidende ontwrigting in Pretoria tot 'n einde te bring, is waarop die vakbonde staatmaak. Die Stad behoort kompromisloos te wees, want om nou in te gee, sal die openbare-sektor vakbonde slegs aanmoedig om voort te gaan met hul plundering van publieke tesourieë regoor die land.
Dit is veral relevant in die konteks van die komende algemene verkiesing in 2024, wat waarskynlik meer hervormingsgesinde regerings aan bewind sal laat kom, indien nie nasionaal nie, in sommige provinsies.
As dit wel gebeur, sal hierdie hervorming-georiënteerde regerings ‘n ingebedde en polities vyandige vakbondstaatsdiens in die gesig staar wat sal poog om hervormingspogings te saboteer. Een van die metodes om dit te bereik sal wees om onredelike hoë lone te eis. In Suid-Afrika se huidige ekonomiese malaise, is die fiskaal-verantwoordelike ding om te doen, om nie net die lone wat staatsamptenare geniet in al drie regeringssfere radikaal te sny nie, maar ook die absolute grootte van die staatsdiens.
Dit gaan reeds moeilik wees vir enige hervorming-georiënteerde regering, maar dit sal selfs moeiliker wees as opposisieregerings soos die een in Tshwane vandag kompromieë aangaan.
Einde.
Media navrae
Anneke Burns
FMF Openbare Betrekkinge
0714230079