Public Service Amendment Bill: postponement of hearing with COSATU

PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
8 MAY 2007
PUBLIC SERVICE AMENDMENT BILL: POSTPONEMENT OF HEARING WITH COSATU

Chairperson: Mr P Gomomo (ANC)

Documents handed out
Public Service Amendment Bill [B31-2006]
COSATU submission

Audio Recording of the Meeting

SUMMARY
The Committee met to discuss the submission made by COSATU. However the submission was not made because COSATU had met with the Department of Public Service and Administration prior to the meeting, with a view to reaching consensus on all of the issues raised in the original submission made by COSATU. It was requested that COSATU and the Department be allowed to make a joint submission to the Committee on the following day, to which the Committee agreed.
 
MINUTES
COSATU submission
Mr Alistair Charles, a representative from COSATU, informed the Committee that although COSATU was prepared to make its submission, it had since met with the Department of Public Service and Administration. That meeting ended ten hours prior to the commencement of this meeting. Consensus has been reached with the Department on all of the issues raised in COSATU’s original submission. The technical team representing both the Department and COSATU would be meeting that afternoon to finalise the joint submission to be made to the Committee on the following day.
 
The Chairperson thanked the Department and COSATU for the work that was done, as it was not an easy task to accomplish. He indicated that the Committee was extremely concerned about some of the issues that were raised by COSATU’s original submission.

Mr I Julies (DA) wanted to know whether COSATU and the Department had reached an agreement on salary increases.

Mr Charles replied that no agreement had yet been reached. COSATU was however hopeful that an agreement would be reached by 25 May 2007.
 
The Chairperson asked why the joint submission would only be made at the next day’s meeting.

Mr Charles replied that both COSATU and the Department had “burnt the midnight oil” and would appreciate a rest period before making the submission.
 
The meeting was adjourned.