Cushy jobs should not be guaranteed

The SA National Defence Union (Sandu) doesn’t see the irony in saying that its members have the right to “peaceful protest and picketing” to show their opposition to government’s intention to not grant them – and other public employees – pay hikes this year.

It’s ironic because the word “picket” was originally a military term meaning, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “a detached body of soldiers serving to guard an army from surprise”.

Although soldiers and military personnel aren’t, by law, allowed to strike, they have certainly protested in the past in SA.

The worry is that anger about the halting of the expected pay rise might result in a less than committed defence force… soldiers whose hearts are not in the job of defending their homeland can become a liability.

On the other hand, we appreciate the SA National Defence Force has been underfunded for years and that it is also top-heavy with “brass” – officers of general rank – in comparison to the number of real foot soldiers.

However, for the many people who are jobless or have lost their businesses because of the Covid-19 emergency and the associated lockdowns, the attitude of the military and other public employee unions is almost unbelievably selfish at a time of unprecedented national crisis. While private companies either closed, put staff on short time or reduced wages, all civil servants continued to take home their normal pay – even though some of them were not working because of the lockdown.

The broader picture is whether South Africa – and the long-suffering golden goose of the taxpayer – can afford to continue with the bloated civil service it has.

The enormous government salary bill is one of the reasons economic progress and recovery is being retarded.

Government employment should never mean a guaranteed cushy job for life.

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