The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has advised President Ramaphosa not to proceed with the proposal by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers to increase salaries for Ministers and Members of Parliament by 4.1%.
According to a gazette notice published on 18 December, the Commission has suggested the hikes for the 2025/26 monetary year, citing the need to “address the issue of salary erosion, and to maintain the purchasing power for POBs,”
If Ramaphosa approves for other Public office bearers, the Deputy President will earn a R130,000 salary increase to R3.1 million, meanwhile ministers will have a R110,000 boost to R2.8 million.
Member of Parliament will earn R52,256 per annum, bringing their salary to R1.3 million. Councillors will receive R28,100 more, a boost from R686,752 to R714,909 per annum.
COSATU believes that instead of increasing the POB’s the money can be used to hire more Police officers, Teachers, Doctors & nurses in the country. Matthew Parks the Parliamentary coordinator conveyed that the union supports a smaller 3.5% increase for judges and magistrates, but said that politicians should get no increase and urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to reject the proposal.
“It is beyond shameful that in the year when the cabinet said the state did not have money to fulfil its legal obligations and thus a 2% VAT hike was unavoidable, that this tone-deaf commission can make such an obnoxious proposal.
