The National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW) calls on the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, to ensure that the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) prioritises workers livelihoods, decent employment, functional public services and the protection of vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n
As the Minister prepares to table the MTBPS on 21 October 2026, NUPSAW insists that economic recovery must be measured not only by fiscal indicators and debt levels, but by whether ordinary South Africans can afford basic necessities, access quality public services and live with dignity.<\/p>\n
Workers continue to face rising living costs, stagnant purchasing power, unemployment and deteriorating public infrastructure. Meanwhile, public servants are expected to deliver essential services amid chronic understaffing, excessive workloads and inadequate resources. NUPSAW calls for a decisive shift towards a developmental fiscal approach that puts workers first and people before profits.<\/p>\n
NUPSAW rejects fiscal measures that constrain essential public expenditure while hospitals, schools and government institutions struggle to meet the needs of communities. Public servants are not a burden on the state, they are the backbone of service delivery. Yet shortages of doctors, nurses, teachers, community health workers and other essential personnel continue to place enormous pressure on frontline institutions.<\/p>\n
In healthcare, excessive patient-to-doctor ratios contribute to long waiting times, delayed treatment and increased pressure on healthcare professionals. In education, high teacher-to-learner ratios limit individual attention, undermine effective teaching and learning, and place educators under immense strain. These challenges are compounded by dilapidated hospitals, clinics, schools and government buildings, inadequate maintenance and insufficient equipment. Such conditions compromise workers\u2019 health and safety while denying communities the quality of services they deserve.<\/p>\n
NUPSAW therefore calls for adequate funding to fill critical vacancies, these include the permanent absorption of all contract workers such as: Extended Public Works Programme workers (EPWPs), Community Health Workers (CHWs), Lay Counsellors, etc. Furthermore, we call on the Minister to ensure the Budget improves staffing levels, rehabilitate public infrastructure and ensure safe, functional working environments. The MTBPS must provide credible, measurable plans to address staffing shortages and excessive service ratios, particularly in underserved and rural communities. Government must also honour existing collective agreements and protect workers\u2019 wages, benefits and employment security. Public servants cannot be expected to compensate indefinitely for budgetary constraints through excessive workloads and deteriorating working conditions.<\/p>\n
Working-class households remain under pressure from rising food, transport, electricity, water and housing costs. For many workers, salaries are increasingly insufficient to meet basic household needs, while unemployed young people remain excluded from economic opportunities. NUPSAW calls for targeted relief for low- and middle-income households, stronger social protection, affordable public transport and measures to improve food security.<\/p>\n
The union further demands investment in labour-intensive infrastructure projects that create sustainable employment, particularly for young people and women, while rebuilding roads, railways, water systems, schools and healthcare facilities. Public procurement should support local industries, skills development and job creation.<\/p>\n
We call on the Minister to ensure that the MTBPS treats gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as an urgent national priority requiring sustained financial resources and measurable interventions. The fight against violence against women and children cannot be confined to campaigns and public statements. It requires adequately funded shelters, psychosocial support, legal assistance, effective policing, properly resourced courts and sustained community-based prevention programmes.<\/p>\n
Economic insecurity and unequal access to employment can further limit women\u2019s ability to escape abusive situations. NUPSAW therefore calls for greater investment in women\u2019s economic empowerment, decent work and social protection, alongside effective measures to prevent gender-based violence and harassment in workplace.<\/p>\n
NUPSAW maintains that fiscal sustainability cannot be achieved by weakening the public institutions on which millions of people depend. The MTBPS will ultimately be judged by its impact on workers and communities: whether patients receive timely care, learners access quality education, public servants work under safe conditions, families can afford basic necessities and women and children are better protected from violence.<\/p>\n
~ ENDS ~<\/strong><\/p>\n Issued by NUPSAW<\/strong><\/p>\n For Media Enquiries contact: NUPSAW MLO Neo Lebethe on 069\u00a0742 4004<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW) calls on the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, to ensure that the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) prioritises workers livelihoods, decent employment, functional public services and the protection of vulnerable communities. As the Minister prepares to table the MTBPS onContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","author-communications","post-165090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","category-press-release"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165091,"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165090\/revisions\/165091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nupsaw.org.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}