Hon House Chair, I am sorry to be the bearer of the bad news on that positive note. It has been said by the Minister of Finance, it is been said by the
President, it has been said by the Minister of Public Service and Administration himself, it has been said by the opposition parties and the FF Plus and I am saying it again, the public sector wage bill is too high. It was also said by the committee when they implored the department to come up with effective measures to reduce the wage bill in the public service, yet cuts in the public sector wage bill are still to be seen.
What is also been said over and over again, is that the trade unions have too much power and are allowed to get away with murder because the ruling ANC just cannot seem to master the courage or the will to say no.
The latest in a very long list of examples is the SA Airways, SAA, strike.
We have just finalised the Budget Review and Recommendations, BRR, report process for the various departments. One aspect that was observed in nearly all the departments is the vacancy rate in high-level posts such as directors and deputy directors.
In spite of this, we still have the bloated Salary Bill. So, we have the shortage of specialised staff, such as financial managers and other specialist positions on the one hand, and then we have personal assistants, PAs, for PAs on the other hand. How does this make sense?
The government's wage bill accounts for 34% of the national budget. This means that for every R1 000 government spends, R340 goes towards employee compensation.
The public sector wage bill has more than tripled in the period since 2006- 7 to 2018-19, from a R154 billion to R518 billion. This is due to above inflation remuneration increases.
Public servants earning in access of R1 million per year, as the hon Schreiber has mentioned, increased from 9 600 to 29 000 during the same period.
Afrikaans:
Die privaatsektor word dikwels uitgekryt as die grootste sondebok - dis nou behalwe blanke mense - as dit kom by
die ANC se mislukkings. Die privaatsektor is die grootste werkskepper in Suid-Afrika, ten spyte van reusagtige struikelblokke wat grootliks deur die staat geskep en veroorsaak word.
Die gemiddelde salaris in die privaatsektor is R273 000 per jaar. Die gemiddelde salaris in die staatsdiens in R393 000 per jaar. Die privaatsektor is grootliks suksesvol deur die uitbou en bevordering van die land se ekonomie. Die staat is nie.
Dit is dalk tyd dat die staat begin afkyk by die privaatsektor as dit kom by bestuur- en personneelaangeleenthede om sodoende sy huis in orde begin te kry.
English:
Attempts by the department to curb some of the fraud and corruption within the public sector through the implementation of the revised determination on other remunerative work to prohibit public servants from conducting business with any organs of state is welcomed. Though one would think that it would not have been
necessary, if the most basic of compliance rules were implemented from the start. The FF Plus does not support this report. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]