'Stop treating us like we are a costly nuisance' - public sector unions

Commuters in the centre of Pretoria had to wait patiently as close to 10‚000 COSATU members proceeded down Madiba street on Thursday to deliver a memorandum of demands to the Department of Treasury.

Upon arrival at the department‚ SA Democratic Teachers Union general Secretary Mugwena Maluleke delivered the memorandum to Treasury Deputy Director-General Ismail Momoniat‚ which said that government should stop the “clear and deliberate agenda” to implement selective austerity measures‚ which aim to curtail excessive government spending.

COSATU also said the implementation of the GEAR economic policy should stop as it “continuously and dismally failed the majority of this country‚” said Maluleke.

He said that the employers enjoyed ever-expanding bonuses while at the same time refusing to give public service workers as decent wages‚ and that they were treated as “a costly nuisance”.

“It must be noted that our patience is growing thin and going forward we will be left with no option but to abandon the boardroom and go to the streets full-time‚” he said.

Momoniat accepted the document saying that Treasury would make sure that it came to the attention of finance minister Nhlanhla Nene.

Apart from wage increases‚ unions asked for 10 days paternity leave‚ six months of maternity leave and the equalisation of medical aid. Maluleke said that unions would give government until the end of the month to respond to their demands.