The Citizen reports that labour federation Cosatu has described the salary and benefits increases for political office bearers proposed by the Independent Commission on the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers as “tone deaf and embarrassing”.

The commission has recommended a 3% salary increase for political office bearers for 2022. This means President Cyril Ramaphosa’s annual salary and benefits could increase from R2.9 million to just over R3 million from April, if approved. With SA deemed the most unequal country in the world by the World Bank and with increasing unemployment, Cosatu said the recommendations should be rejected. The federation said the working class was facing mounting social challenges and that it was time political leaders showed some solidarity with the suffering masses. Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla commented: “Load shedding, the rising cost of living, corruption and a stagnant economy have all happened under the watch and leadership of all political office bearers. They do not deserve the packages they currently earn, let alone an increase in their salaries.” He added that it was hypocritical for Treasury to recommend to the commission that MPs be afforded a 3% increase to avoid them “becoming demoralised”, when it had shown no compunction in imposing wage freezes on nurses and doctors who were working 48-hour shifts, or on police officers. “The elite of this country is ganging up and declaring a class war against the taxpayers and the poor. The huge salaries and benefits paid to political office bearers and senior bureaucrats are the source of the existing inequalities and unacceptable income disparities that currently exist in the public service,” Pamla claimed.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard on page 9 of Saturday Citizen of 2 April 2022

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page