Pres. Zuma makes a calculated move

Managing government is not only about managing the process of service delivery, as President Zuma has demonstrated, it is also about managing the costs related to the delivery of these services. In any organization, people costs, specifically salaries are a big component of operational costs, and this more so in government.

President Zuma's decision to reduce the salary increase by 2 percentage points from the 7% recommended by the remuneration commission showed political will on his part. The will to reduce the burden on the tax payer. My concern however is that the people affected by this increase are not the ordinary state and government employees, it is senior members of the executive and judiciary who are unlikely to show any disapproval, even if they do not agree with the proposed increase. In this regard, the move has been a calculated one from the President's side.

It is unlikely that the ordinary state employees would accept a 5% increase, therefore it will be interesting to see how President Zuma would deal with the matter of increases for general state employees when the matter eventually reaches the bargaining council in the next round of negotiations. This perhaps is where his political will, is likely to be put to a real test.