SA trade union rejects job cuts

Reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration plans to cut 30,000 jobs from the civil service have angered the country's biggest trade union federation.

The Congress of South African Union (Cosatu), an influential player in the governing ANC, said that it will make sure that its members do not accept the voluntary early retirement offers.

Cosatu’s chief public-sector wage negotiator Mike Shingange said:

“They must only retire when they are ready. We are going to mobilise all public sector and unions through the federation. And at the next central executive committee meeting, the matter will have to be raised with a view of initiating a meeting with the government urgently.”

Government officials with details of the layoffs plan said that treasury has set aside four billion South African rand ($288m; £225m) in this financial year to begin the process of issuing severance packages.

President Ramaphosa’s administration hopes the layoffs will reduce government’s wage bill by $1.4bn (£1.1bn).