Cabinet cans own pay hikes

I have to wonder though, whether he would have done that if it weren't for the public servants strike?

Nevertheless good move by him.
 
Fantastic.

Now, consider: this will go back to committee. The committee will come back with revised figures. The strike will be long over, and even if anything happens in the news, it'll be too late for the new increases to be used as ammunition by the unions.

Timing. It's all just timing.

As an aside, the title of the article should actually read "Mbeki cans Cabinet pay hikes". Doubt many of the illustrious MPs are very happy about this.
 
Highflyer_GP said:
I have to wonder though, whether he would have done that if it weren't for the public servants strike?

Nevertheless good move by him.
Click to expand...

I like to think he might well still have. :) We'll never know now. Damn! ;)
 
He has done it at least once before Antowan, from 2004, but do note the figures at play back then compared to now.

2004/11/05 12:00:00 AM
Mbeki cuts pay hikes for office-bearers down to size

Raises less than public service’s 6,2%

Wyndham Hartley

Parliamentary Editor

CAPE TOWN — President Thabo Mbeki has rejected the recommendations of an independent commission and decided that cabinet members, MPs and members of provincial legislatures should get salary increases less than the 6,2% awarded to the public service recently.

The presidency said yesterday Mbeki had signed a proclamation determining the salaries and allowances of public office-bearers in terms of the Remuneration of Office-Bearers Act.

Office-bearers include cabinet members; deputy ministers; MPs; members of provincial legislatures; permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces; members of the National House of Traditional Leaders; members of any provincial house of traditional leaders; Constitutional Court judges; and other judges or magistrates.

An uproar greeted the Commission for the Remuneration of Public Representatives’ recommendations in early October, when the commission suggested that salaries should be increased by 7%.

This came only weeks after the public service unions had been forced to accept 6,2% for their members after tough negotiations with government.

There had been indignant complaints from the Congress of South African Trade Unions and political parties. The Democratic Alliance (DA) had said its members would not accept any increase larger than that given to public servants.

Magistrates will get 6,2% — the same as public servants — and members of provincial legislatures 6%. The pay for traditional leaders in their various houses will be determined by Mbeki after he has consulted premiers. Salaries for members of the provincial executive councils will be determined by premiers, and those of the premiers by resolution of provincial legislatures.

Office-bearers at local government level will have their increases decided on by Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi. Proclamations dealing with the matters would be published shortly, the statement said, adding Mbeki’s salary would be determined by the National Assembly.

DA chief whip Douglas Gibson said “the DA notes that the president, in granting a 6% increase to MPs, has heeded the advice of the DA not to exceed the 6,2% given to public servants”.

During a press conference last week, African National Congress chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe told the media that MPs did not have a forum where they could negotiate their salaries, and that the recommendations had come from an independent commission.

He said the fuss was premature because Mbeki had not made the final decision.

Meanwhile, the education department said yesterday it had not reneged on an agreement with teacher unions over eight-year promotions backlogs.

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union and three other teacher unions declared a dispute with the department on Wednesday after a deadlock in the Education Labour Relations Council.

The state is now considering its position, spokeswoman Mathula Mpande said, although the formal dispute papers had yet to be served on the department. With Sue Blaine
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http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/TarkArticle.aspx?ID=1299432

They were fighting over a difference of 0.8% then. Now its up to 47.5% :eek:
 
They're overpaid anyhow. I imagine that a South African politician earns as much as a US one or a British one, now compare the poverty level of the countries concerned ... salaries should be based on merit and the poverty level of the country concerned.
 
PeterCH said:
They're overpaid anyhow. I imagine that a South African politician earns as much as a US one or a British one, now compare the poverty level of the countries concerned ... salaries should be based on merit and the poverty level of the country concerned.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
 
omg.

/me looks at calender - nope not april 1

Anyways, well done Mr President - and that may well be the very first time I feel you have deserved that title. Try and not make me regret it, and try as well to make it but the first of many.
 
PeterCH said:
They're overpaid anyhow. I imagine that a South African politician earns as much as a US one or a British one, now compare the poverty level of the countries concerned ... salaries should be based on merit and the poverty level of the country concerned.
Click to expand...

You imagine or you know?

US congresstypes earn $165000 pa, about R1.2 mill. British MP's earn the equivalent of R840 000. SA MP's earn R650 000 pa before any increase.
 
Good on you Thabo!!

But watch out, you might now start seeing MP's taking part in marches protesting about there increases, its all just a vicious circle
 
In 2004 the commission was recommending pay hikes for politicians in the same region as those of the workforce. (as close as dammit)
Now, we see this MASSIVE difference between the pay hikes recommended by the same commission, with I think the same person heading it up, as apposed to the increases offered to the workforce, why??

Is this not indicative of the widening rift between blue and white collar workforce? Thabo has turned it down, and good for him but surely we need to understand why the commission has justified and put forward these massive increases.
The gap between rich and poor is widening and in 3 years is this difference reflected in the salary / wage offers? Shock and horror if that is the case.
Not trying to put a negative spin on a good decision by the government, just think that this point is quite worrying.
:confused:

Need to look at wage increases for the workforce against those of the hierarchy since say 2000 and see how they differ.
Where can I find that?
 
chiskop said:
You imagine or you know?

US congresstypes earn $165000 pa, about R1.2 mill. British MP's earn the equivalent of R840 000. SA MP's earn R650 000 pa before any increase.
Click to expand...

Nice, so lets use those figures
a UK MP earns 60 000 pounds or so.
The SA politician earns around 30 times as much as some of the people striking (R1700 a month etc).
Now, who in the UK can live on 2000 pounds a year (60000/30) ?

There is the discrepancy.
 
Gothan said:
Good on you Thabo!!

But watch out, you might now start seeing MP's taking part in marches protesting about there increases, its all just a vicious circle
Click to expand...

Well one thing is certain - we need not worry about him getting a 3rd term!!!

:D:D
 
Moederloos said:
Well one thing is certain - we need not worry about him getting a 3rd term!!!

:D:D
Click to expand...


Hahahahahaha yip, he might have temporarily adhered himself to the workers, but now he's own party is upset with him, you just cannot please all the people all the time.

But I am seriously starting to worry about this strike (especially as I have a house in the market to be sold), and its just getting more and more violent, with no end in site. Surely they can now go to 10% with this
 
Sneeky said:
In 2004 the commission was recommending pay hikes for politicians in the same region as those of the workforce. (as close as dammit)
Now, we see this MASSIVE difference between the pay hikes recommended by the same commission, with I think the same person heading it up, as apposed to the increases offered to the workforce, why??

Is this not indicative of the widening rift between blue and white collar workforce? Thabo has turned it down, and good for him but surely we need to understand why the commission has justified and put forward these massive increases.
The gap between rich and poor is widening and in 3 years is this difference reflected in the salary / wage offers? Shock and horror if that is the case.
Not trying to put a negative spin on a good decision by the government, just think that this point is quite worrying.
:confused:

Need to look at wage increases for the workforce against those of the hierarchy since say 2000 and see how they differ.
Where can I find that?
Click to expand...
It is my understanding that they realigned their findings to include private sector comparisons as well, i.e. they included comparisons with company executives. Be that as it may, the top politicians are very well looked after in this country. From police escorts to exclusive use of military and private aircraft and massive housing subsidies, they live it up. Not to mention the many private business interests most of them participate in. Comparatively the salary they get paid may look a little underweight when compared internationally, but the perks far outweigh the salary.
 
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