Cape Town - The provincial legislature is planning retrenchments in a bid to cut costs.
According to the plan, 38 permanent staff members will lose their jobs. There are currently 86 staff members working in the legislature.
A July 2017 report by auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said that the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) consistently had the smallest staff complement of all the legislatures.
The report, titled “functional enhancement project”, seeks to streamline processes and save on employee costs by cutting staff.
According to several sources within the legislature, the report cost about R1.4 million to compile.
In the report it is noted that the 2016 national Budget called for the need to contain the cost employment.
“Through discussion with the provincial treasury, confirmation was given that no additional funds would be made available for expanding the WCPP’s staff complement.
It was however stated that the WCPP had a stated budget for cost of employment and as long as it was not exceeded, the WCPP could make changes to the structure.
“It became clear that, instead of seeking to expand the actual staff complement, the WCPP had to enhance its functionality to be more effective with the personnel budget,” the report said.
Sources within the legislature said security functions, for example, were to be done by officials of the provincial Department of Community Safety.
Staff responsible for standing committees perform a large part of the legislature’s overall work and are considered the engines of the institution.
The department has 21 officials, but the new report suggests only six are needed.
The finance department will be reduced from nine to four staff; the human resources division will decrease from nine to five; and supply chain management will decrease from seven to three.
The IT department will however be boosted from eight to 12.
Mayoral hopeful Sharna Fernandez said there were no plans to lay off workers.
In 2015, former legislature secretary Hamida Fakira compiled a report on the “impact of austerity measures” on the legislature’s staff and services.
It unpacks the crisis, pointing to weaknesses with its finances, information and communication technology, security and management facilities as well as human resources.
The legislature's information and communication technology system is on the edge of disaster, according to the report.
The legislature's committees face the gravest risk from under-staffing with increased work demands having led to “fatigue and burn out”.
In a letter to unions, legislature secretary Dr Gilbert Lawrence said no worker of the institution would be affected. “No employee will be adversely affected or lose their job by the implementation of the functional enhancement project.”
ANC chief whip Pierre Uys said it had become clear that the DA wanted to limit the oversight on the DA-run provincial government.
“They don't want public participation. It does not sit well with them, because they have weak leadership. This legislature is being run into the grave,” Uys said.
ACDP leader Ferlon Christians said: “This shows that there is no leadership. I would even go as far as to say that it borders on incompetency. I am the chairperson of the Scopa and I can tell you that the staff are not happy and they are most definitely overworked. It seems that the DA doesn't want to be held accountable.”