But government has agreed, as a quid pro quo, to retrench civil servants only as a last resort and, as a corollary, to seek alternative remedies first. Now, it argues most retrenchments can be avoided by retraining staff and transferring them to needy areas. Potential sticking points remain, however. One is whether government may try to consult with trade unions on retrenchments, instead of negotiate with them. Another is government's policy of outsourcing State functions, to the chagrin of the unions.
Concessions appear to have been made.
But government now needs urgently to conduct a national audit of the skills in the public service.