Looming go-slow at ENHI
MANZINI – There is a looming go-slow at healthcare facilities under ENHI, including RFM Hospital as the workers are demanding CoLA, among other things.
This is because yesterday some workers of Eswatini Nazarene Health Institutions (ENHI), mainly from the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital, held a meeting where they discussed their main three grievances.
Their first grievance was that the institution did not pay them a once-off payment of one per cent of their annual salaries which was part of the 2021/22 agreement. The agreement was that, just like civil servants, they would get three per cent salary adjustment, plus the once-off payment. However, they said the institution only adjusted their salaries with three per cent and did not give them the once-off payment.
Failure
When asked about the institution’s explanation for its failure to pay them the once-off, they alleged that at first, they were told that the organisation was faced with cash flow challenges. However, later on, they alleged that the administration told them that they needed to engage each other in talks because the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed by both parties, clashed with the Public Enterprise Unit (PEU) Act.
They said according to management, the MoU said their benefits, including salaries should be comparable to that of civil servants, yet through the PEU Act, government usually issue a circular on how much should public enterprises workers get as salary
adjustment. For instance, in this matter, they said management told them that the 2021/22 Circular, which was issued through the PEU Act, gave them three per cent, without the said
once-off payment, but added that this did not mean that they did not deserve it – instead, they needed to go to the roundtable.
Again, the workers said another contract to 2016. When it expired in 2016, it was renews for another three years – to 2022. After that, it was extended to coincide with his retirement – to 2023.
When he was contacted, the CEO asked not to comment about the matter. He said; “It’s time, nothing much can be done about it.”
On another note, the closing the for submission of application letters for the position is tomorrow (November 11, 2022), according to the advert.
grievance was that of Cost-of-Living Adjustment (CoLA) for the current fiscal year (2022/23), which they said according to the MoU, should be three per cent salary adjustment plus a once-off payment of one per cent of their annual salaries. They said procedurally, they were supposed to get CoLA at the beginning of every financial year - April 1, but up to date, their salaries had not been adjusted.
In this matter, they highlighted that again, the circular which was issued through the PEU Act on March 2, 2022, awarded them with three per cent CoLA only. They said the circular did not include the once-off payment of one per cent of their annual salaries.
After their meeting, they picketed during their lunch hour to sensitive the public and other workers about their plight. They also agreed that today they would meet management to table their demands and they would meet the rest of the staff members to give them feedback so that they could map a way forward – which is likely to be a go-slow action.
Permission
Meanwhile, ENHI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Benjamin Simelane said the workers did request to meet between noon and 2pm yesterday and they were granted permission. However, he said they had an arrangement with the workers that they should ensure that their meetings do not affect operations of the health facilities. He said the workers normally prepare a cover up plan that would ensure work was not affected.
On another note, he said the issue of salary adjustments and notching were classified as confidential between the two parties, which meant that they were not for public consumption.
It is worth noting that ENHI is a major player in the health sector in Eswatini as it covers about 40 to 50 per cent of the country’s population. The ENHI health facilities includes the RFM Hospital, which is located in the densely populated region of Manzini and 20 other Nazarene Community Clinics operating in the four regions of the country.