Staff of Themba Hospital up in arms again Representatives of the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) rallied the workers. Retha Nel WHITE RIVER – Fed-up staff members of Themba Hospital went on strike on Thursday morning to protest unpaid overtime and the shortage of staff. It was considerably more quiet than their previous strike in late August, when they barricaded the gates and danced at the hospital entrance. Representatives of the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) rallied the workers and this time peacefully spoke to management about their grievances. According to them, overtime had not been paid for the past four months and they were working with skeleton staff. “The workers are tired, if they have to continue working overtime without getting paid, they will stop working and create chaos in the hospital,” one said. “This money is something we have worked for, not something we’re just asking for.” There is reportedly not sufficient support staff like laundry aids, cleaners, gardeners, kitchen staff and admin clerks. The representatives say that from 2007 to date, no replacements had been hired for staff members who have retired, resigned or have been transferred. This state of affairs necessitates staff to work more hours overtime to ensure that the hospital can still provide the needed services to the public. Unfortunately the shortage of staff has meant that the X-ray department and pharmacy are unable to stay open for 24 hours, the representatives say. “Patients who travel from far have to sleep at the hospital because they don’t have money to travel back and forth. This is making things worse for the patients,” a representative stated. The union representatives don’t want the situation to escalate but say that workers are tired and want the money owed to them. They say that have tried, as a union, to speak to the HOD and MEC of health in the province but they are unreachable. “It feels like they only understand the language of noise,” one of the protesters said, referring to the fact that they have to strike before people take notice of their situation. The group is hoping the department will step in before they have to resort to more intense measures. During talks with management, the protesters were informed that documents regarding overtime had been approved. The group, however had no idea what that entailed and hoped that someone from human resources would explain it to them. The protesters dispersed and resumed their duties afterwards. By time of going publishing, the health department had not responded to enquiries regarding the situation. https://m.facebook/story.php?story_fbid=780262212028552&id=732898326764941
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 08:30:36 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015