Workers want MEC to act on joining civil service

Workers subjected to most appalling working condition, including dog bites

COMMUNITY health-care workers unhappy with their working conditions took their grievances to the provincial health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo, and called on her to intervene urgently.

Marching from Keizersgracht to the provincial legislature yesterday, the workers said a policy framework implementation plan was signed in 2016 to integrate the health-care workers into the public health-care system by next month.

Omar Parker, leader of the workers, said part of the plan included standardising the workers’ working conditions with a payment of R3 500 per month, which was equivalent to the minimum wage agreed to by the government.

Parker said the community health-care was at “risk of collapsing” if no urgent interventions were made.

“What is quite shocking for us is that the government has come back to us saying they could no longer honour the agreement because of financial constraints.

“We believe this is a clear sign of bad faith. The workers are equally important as doctors are, and we have realised the government is playing lip service. We fight for full recognition of health-care workers.

“A series of consultative processes have unfolded where we have engaged the department.

“There was an agreement that the policy framework implementation plan would integrate these workers by April this year and standardise their working conditions with a payment of R3 500, which we know is a slave payment which we reject. We are not going to take this lightly. We are going to mobilise other organisations and embark on a sustained programme and organise progressive organisations to hear our plight,” said Parker.

He said the workers were subjected to the most appalling working conditions.

“Some of them are subjected to dog bites. These workers should be treated as human beings,” said Parker. One of the workers, Jane Blade, said the money she earned was not equal to the 12 hours she worked a day.

“We do not want to be paid by non-governmental organisations, but absorbed into the public sector, because we have the same scope of work,” said Blade.

Mbombo’s office said the issues raised by the union related to the mandates of the national department and they would forward the health-care workers’ grievances to the national ministry but after its labour relations directorate has first checked if there aren’t issues they needed to attend to.

Colleen Smart, spokesperson for Mbombo said: “we have received the memorandum”.

“We are seeking clarity from our labour relations directorate if it is something we can respond to because most of the issues are related to the national department.”