By Mbono Mdluli | 2018-11-13

Government should stop increasing tariffs on water, electricity, and fuel if there is no money.

This was said by public sector unions when called yesterday on the outcome of the meeting they had with the Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini and his team of Cabinet ministers on Friday afternoon at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre.

The unionists are of the view that if there is no money, then basic necessities would not go up in prices.

The unions believe that government increased these commodities because it knew there was money. SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini said government was the one that approved the inflation of all the commodities mentioned above.

Dlamini further stated that what was unfortunate was that the increase of these tariffs on the commodities eroded their salaries as workers.

eroded

On the other hand, the workers’ salaries, which were eroded, were not adjusted. “Every year, there is an increase in electricity and fuel is increased every now and then.

 Government is the one that approves the increase of the prices of these commodities. They should stop increasing this if there is no money,” Dlamini said.

Dlamini said they would continue wanting their CoLA because they were not convinced that government had no money. The spending patterns of the government were the ones that convinced them that government had money.

Dlamini’s sentiments were supported by National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) President Aubrey Sibiya. NAPSAWU is recognised as SNACS by government. Sibiya said he was actually surprised by comments from Minister of  Finance Neal Rijkenberg. Rijkenberg is reported to have said salaries for civil servants should be frozen.

“I do not understand the logic behind freezing salaries when on the other hand you allow the increase of tariffs on basic commodities such as electricity, fuel, and water,” Sibiya said.

He further stated that public transport operators were also contemplating on increasing prices of their products. The Value Added Taxes had also been added by the very same government, without considering the workers.

The president said he understood that the producers of these commodities had to increase prices because producing their products was expensive.

He wondered why their salaries had to be frozen because they also felt the pinch whenever prices were inflated.

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