Hospitals under pressure as Nehawu staff protest
● Student nurses have to be called in as workers around country down tools
The high care unit at Port Elizabeth‘s Dora Nginza Hospital was severely understaffed and student nurses had to be brought in to man the labour ward yesterday as hundreds of union members protested around the country over a range of issues.
Nehawu members gathered at the Port Elizabeth City Hall to protest in connection with the implementation of wage agreements, the permanent employment of community health workers as drivers of primary health-care and ensuring a safe working environment by full compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act across all sectors.
Other members from the region handed over a memorandum of demands to the office of the premier in Bhisho.
Nehawu regional secretary Sweetness Stokwe said Nehawu would withdraw its workers across all sectors if the memorandums were not responded to in a favourable manner within the next seven days.
“Due to Covid-19 regulations, we couldn’t go to Bhisho, but we are showing our support,” she said.
“The government said they don’t have money, but in previous weeks and months there were reports of corruption by senior officials of the government.
“That money was meant to buy personal protective equipment for workers.
“As Nehawu we have taken a decision to say we’re on our own, we need to fight for ourselves, because our workers are dying.”
She said if they did not receive a response within seven days, they would go on a nationwide shutdown.
“[This includes] our alliance members, who have pledged their solidarity with us.”
A source at Dora Nginza Hospital, who did not want to be named, said the high care ward was severely understaffed yesterday as a result of the protest.
“It causes significant delays in management of patients.”
The source also confirmed that student nurses had to be brought in to work in the labour unit.
A staff member at Livingstone Hospital said staff shortages had caused severe strain on those who were at work.
Asked about the strike, health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo referred questions to his colleague, Siyanda Manana.
Manana said: “There will be consequences for workers that don’t come to work, government has a policy of ‘no work no pay’.
“The department always has contingency measures to minimise the impact of such actions.
“As we are essential services, such action would be unlawful and thus disciplinary action would be followed. It will be difficult for us to comment on the memorandum as a department as we haven’t seen it and it was directed at the premier’s office.”
SA Communist Party spokesperson Lazola Pukwana said: “It looks like in many parts of Nelson Mandela, if not the entire district of Mbuyiselo Ngwenda, we will contest the elections separately.
“We won’t play games with the ANC, they must take workers seriously.”
Cosatu local chair Mazotsho
Dukwe said they pledged their support to Nehawu and would embark on a national shutdown if the government did not answer in a favourable manner to the memorandums.
Sasco regional secretary Thembalethu Nyikilana said the struggle of workers was the struggle of students as one of their principles said they were members of the community before being students.
“We’re not here just for those principles, Nehawu is one of our sister unions, they are our parents, students that have parents working for government aren’t considered for NSFAS.
“This means if they don’t get an increment, in a crippling economy that is affected by Covid-19, those learners will be excluded from institutions of higher learning as their parents would not afford to take them to university,” Nyikilana said.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s spokesperson, Mvusi Sicwetsha, said he was in a meeting in Matatiele with the premier and was unable to respond at the time of going to print.