DORIANNE ARENDSE
Some twenty thousand public servants took to the streets in Cape Town on Tuesday in protest of government’s revised offer of seven percent and a housing allowance of R630. Public servants are demanding an 8.6 percent wage increase and a R1,000 housing allowance. Various unions affiliated to trade union Cosatu as well as the Public Servants Association marched to Parliament to hand over a memorandum highlighting their demands.
Provincial Chairperson for Nehawu, James Kruger, told VOC News that they are also demanding the equalization of medical aid. “Level 1-3 workers who are the lowest paid government officials are given free medical aid. But that free medical only gives you access to a state hospital and we all know that state of our current healthcare system in the country. Those members that have the so called free medical aid actually don’t have access to health care. The subsidy from level 4 onwards is only a third of the medical aid”, said Kruger.
In addition he said the R1000 housing subsidy was not their initial demand. Kruger said that even that subsidy will not be able to cover their bond repayments. “A determination on your approval for a bond is made on your annual salary the majority of public servants cannot go to the bank for a bond. But we are saying for those who can at least a R1000 subsidy will do”, said Kruger.
He said the 8.6 percent wage increase which the public servants are asking for amounts to about R80 for the lowest paid worker.
“The level 1 worker gets about R40 000 – R50 000 a year. If you take an 8 percent increase on that it is not even R80, so it does not represent much increase for the ordinary worker. That is why we have always fought for a sliding scale increase. They have to improve the salaries on the lower level. The disparity between a level 1 salary and that of a head of department’s salary is too great”, said Kruger.
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