COSATU rejects 4.1% salary hike for politicians, judges and government officials

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has rejected a proposed 4.1% salary increase for politicians, judges and government officials.

The trade union federation said the increase is unfair while ordinary South Africans face higher taxes and rising living costs.

It said the proposal could cost the state about R536 million, including pay rises for more than 9,000 municipal councillors, many at failing municipalities.

COSATU believes the money should instead be used to hire doctors, nurses, teachers and police.

Parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks said 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 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.

“It defies logic that a month after the Minister for Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana warned Parliament and the nation that further tax hikes may be a necessity in 2026, that the commission thought proposing an additional R536 million to fund the salaries of politicians, commissioners and judges is morally justifiable.”