'Chaos' with restructuring

2003-06-08 21:24

Sonja Carstens

Pretoria - Thousands of excess public servants will probably be able to negotiate an improved severance package if the restructuring of the public service is not completed my September.

The current restructuring agreement between government and public service trade union expires by the end of September whether the process is completed or not.

The initial target date was at the end of June.

Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, minister of the public service and administration, is expected to announce a three month extension of the process during her budget speech before the national assembly on Wednesday.

Reportedly some departments have not even started on the restructuring process.

Others have apparently made such a mess of the process that they would have to start again.

The current agreement makes provision for downsized severance packages for officials that are declared in excess and doesn't include voluntary severance packages.

When the agreement expires in September, the public service will probably have to revert to the initial voluntary severance package that it used to pay out.

- Beeld