News24 reports that Parliament has rubbished claims by the EFF that plans are afoot to retrench "thousands of workers" at the legislative arm of government.

In a statement on Friday, the party alleged the acting secretary of Parliament, Baby Tyawa, had disclosed that workers were going to be retrenched. This was said to be revealed at a meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament, where Tyawa said Parliament was short of more than R500 million just to retain the staff compliment and would therefore "effect voluntary severance packages to force staff members out". According to the EFF, "Parliament argues that this is as a result of severe cuts to their budget, imposed by the National Treasury." Parliament’s spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the EFF's claims were patently erroneous and misleading. "Parliament is currently engaging with National Treasury with a view to introducing a similar process to the one that was implemented in the public service of voluntary early retirement. The EFF has falsely claimed without any shred of evidence that Parliament plans to retrench thousands of workers. Voluntary early retirement is not the same as mass retrenchment.” Mothapo added that several employees, who were close to retirement age, had already indicated their willingness to take up the opportunity to retire early if it was offered. Mothapo said despite the budget cut, Parliament was not in a crisis that would warrant such drastic intervention as claimed by the EFF.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Alex Mitchley at News24

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