Public sector unions plan to "forge ahead" with a court hearing on Wednesday, where they will air their grievances over the government's decision to renege on wage increases earlier this year.
The battle lines were drawn when the government, a day before the February 2020 budget was tabled, proposed a review of the final year of the wage agreement, which was finalised back in 2018. This is part of the government's efforts to slash the compensation budget by R160 billion over the next three years, to cut back on expenditure and avoid a sovereign debt crisis.
An independent study, commissioned by Business Unity South Africa earlier this year, found that payroll costs for public sector workers are high compared to international standards and the private sector.
