Health on go-slow

DEPARTMENT of Health employees in the Northern Cape have embarked on a go-slow in an attempt to have a deputy director, who they claimed was bullying, assaulting and victimising them, suspended.

Nehawu branch secretary Moleme Moleme indicated that staff from the provincial office, pathology unit, Kimberley Hospital, West End Hospital and the Professor ZK Matthews Hospital would be joining in a lunch-time picket tomorrow.

“All employees are unhappy and are living in fear and are joining the go-slow. They believe that if they were charged for the same offence (as the deputy director), they would have been dismissed a long time ago,” said Moleme.

“Workers are aggrieved that this deputy director was merely transferred from Kimberley Hospital to the district office, while they do not feel safe at the workplace.

“They want due processes to unfold in terms of the labour regulations, where an employee should be served with a charge sheet within 60 days and undergo disciplinary action. The department cannot apply a different set of rules for different employees.”

He added that a meeting that the union had tried to arrange with the HOD for Health had been postponed three times since last week.

“It appears as if he is being protected as the department has shown no intention in dealing with the matter. This is while staff are being victimised on a daily basis.”

Moleme stated that the union had already collected in excess of 30 signatures on a petition that was drawn up to highlight the urgent need for the official to be suspended.

“We will intensify our actions and should our grievances not receive a favourable response, we will withdraw all our members from their posts until the deputy director is suspended. Employees are becoming casualties of political factions.”

The Department of Health did not respond to media enquiries by the time of going to print.