The Public Servants Association (PSA) has expressed support for a proposed Insourcing Bill before parliament, saying the legislation could help address service delivery failures and labour issues linked to outsourcing in the public sector.
The Private Member’s Bill proposes that government departments and state entities should directly employ workers who provide regularly required services such as security, cleaning, gardening, maintenance, catering, information technology, administration and certain health-related functions.
According to the proposal, organs of state would only be allowed to outsource these services if they obtain formal exemptions based on clearly defined conditions.
The PSA said outsourcing in the public sector has historically undermined labour rights and contributed to poor working conditions for thousands of workers. The union added that reliance on tender-based outsourcing has also been associated with corruption, inflated costs and poor service delivery.
The association said the bill sought to strengthen the state’s internal capacity while addressing administrative failures linked to excessive outsourcing and weak procurement oversight.
South Africa’s public procurement budget is estimated at about R1-trillion annually, which the PSA said has made the system vulnerable to criminal and corrupt activities, particularly within municipalities and state-owned enterprises.
The union said insourcing could help reduce financial losses linked to inflated tenders and repeated contracting failures while improving service delivery in key sectors such as health and safety.
It also argued that the bill could provide greater job security and benefits for workers currently employed through outsourcing arrangements.
The PSA called on political parties in parliament to prioritise the bill and expedite its passage. It also urged the government of national unity and the Presidency to support the legislation were it to be adopted.
TimesLIVE
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