Health staff to be relocated

Department says the move was due to concerns about safety compliance

THE Department of Health is set to urgently relocate after staff stopped coming to work due to numerous concerns about the unsafe state of the Civitas building in Pretoria Central.

The decision follows meetings between the departments of Health and Public Works (DPW) in December when it was resolved that relocating the offices was a matter of urgency.

Last year, reports emerged that staff had held protests and demanded to be moved.

Health Department spokesperson Popo Maja said the building had never been declared “uninhabitable”, however workers had raised concerns associated with occupational health and safety compliance.

“Organised labour had raised issues about the safety of the building, but it as never declared uninhabitable.

“However, there are structural and maintenance defects that are being addressed by DPW.

“Due to long delays in addressing the identified defects a decision has been taken by the executive to move out of the Civitas building in the interest of cordial relations with staff,” he said.

Maja said the department was to vacate the building and move to another one, and was waiting for DPW to indicate to them where the new offices would be.

“The urgent aim of the department is to resolve the labour impasse and harmonise relations with staff in order to adequately and appropriately serve our people,” Maja said.

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said the matter of relocation was urgent.

“The safety of our workers is paramount. As the Department of Health we must lead in the fields of employee wellness and occupational safety, including fostering a tenable working environment,” Mkhize said.

“The matter of relocating the department is critically urgent for us. People whom we serve, in fact 84% of the population, depend on us for their health needs and wellness.

“I am making an appeal to public servants to heed the call to serve, as we will heed the call to protect them from a harmful working environment.”

Mkhize directed the management of the department to go ahead with the implementation of the relocation plan and to ensure that the specifications presented by DPW were complied with.

Nehawu’s national spokesperson, Khaya Xaba, said they welcomed the decision as the building was unsafe for workers.