RFM talks over outsourcing collapse
MANZINI - The ongoing talks between RFM Hospital management and workers over the proposed programme of outsourcing some services have collapsed.
This is because the leaders of the Swaziland Health Institutions and Allied Workers Union (SHIAWU) walked out of their meeting with the management of the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital on Monday and this was after the two parties failed to reach common ground.
RFM Hospital under the Eswatini Nazarene Health Institutions (ENHI), is a major player in the health sector in Eswatini as it services about 40 to 50 per cent of the country’s population. The ENHI health facilities include 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.
Proposed
At RFM Hospital, the management had proposed services which included cleaning and transport for staff members should be outsourced and this, if implemented would result in about 40 job losses, mainly in the Cleaning Department.
RFM Hospital employees are at the receiving end as the ENHI is on a verge of outsourcing some services.
However, the institution highlighted that it would engage the workers as it was trying to find a win-win solution, mainly by considering giving the cleaning and transport tender to the workers that would be if they (employees) establish cleaning and transport companies.
A source close to the matter revealed that in their meetings, including the one which was held on Monday, the institution maintained that it was subjected to rising costs of operating as fuel prices and wages, among other things, were increasing.
On the other hand, the source said RFM Hospital, in particular, attended to about 600 patients per day and more than half of them were elderly people who did not pay.
However, the source said the workers’ union rejected the proposal on the basis that they were never engaged when this was discussed until the decision to table it was made.
In that regard, they said they believed that they were supposed to be engaged from the onset as stakeholders who would be directly affected by the proposal.
Decision
“The workers want to know how management reached the decision that these services should be outsourced.
They also believe management flouted the procedure by not involving them in the decision-making stages,” the source said.
In that regard, the source said according to feedback that was given by the leaders of SHIAWU to its members, they decided to walk out of the meeting because they were not seeing eye-to-eye with management. He added that the excuse they left on the table when leaving, was that they wanted to consult with their lawyers, who are their labour advisors.
The developments were confirmed by SHIAWU Secretary General Gabisile Simelane, who said the first time they were informed about the proposal, they were called together with the affected workers to a meeting and they were equally shocked because they were never engaged in the decision-making process.
Meanwhile, efforts of getting a comment from ENHI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Benjamin Simelane, proved futile as his mobile phone rang unanswered for the better part of yesterday afternoon. The last call was made at 7:6pm.
It is worth noting that according to the institution, the funds it received from government were of great assistance, but were not enough.
Therefore, it had to find means of eliminating costs and mobilising resources and it identified the two sectors; cleaning and transport (for staff), which could operate with less costs if it was outsourced.
Additionally, he said the institution had promised the affected workers that if the proposed changes would be implemented, labour laws would be followed, which meant that they would be paid their terminal benefits, which they could use to start businesses which could sell services to ENHI.