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City Press reports that Public Service and Administration Minister Senzo Mchunu is looking to reach a much-needed agreement with labour this week over the future of staff, as part of processes involved in the macro reconfiguration of the state.
The reconfiguration process – which got under way in May after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the merger of certain departments and the reallocation of portfolios – is set to be completed in March next year. Mchunu is now faced with the delicate balancing act of cutting the wage bill, while retaining much-needed skills in the public service and overseeing the transfer of staff to the newly restructured departments. Last week, he appeared before the parliamentary portfolio committee on public service and administration, alongside the department’s director-general, Richard Levin. Mchunu and Levin were adamant that no jobs would be lost in the process. “Government is committed to ensuring that public servants are not negatively affected by the changes. The jobs of public servants remain safe,” Levin staed. This was despite an acknowledgment that the cost of bloated support staff was a challenge for the department. Levin was also at pains to communicate that the offer of early retirement to those aged between 55 and 60 had nothing to do with “downsizing”. “The particular dispensation, which is currently being discussed with labour, is really about the penalties that apply when you take that retirement being covered. The aim was never about downsizing,” he asserted.
- Read the full original of the above report by S’thembile Cele at City Press
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page