‘Workers use refuse bags as masks’: Nehawu strikes over PPE

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has announced it will go on a nationwide strike over a number of unaddressed grievances, mainly in the health sector.

The union has cited a lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) as one of their chief concerns and motivations for the strike action, set for 21 August 2020.

Nehawu said its National Office Bearers (NOBs) visited health facilities in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Eastern Cape, to assess compliance as well as the state of the sector.

“In almost all healthcare institutions that were visited, our teams found that there were generalised shortages of PPEs – four months after the union was told by government that there were enough PPEs in stock and that it was undertaking additional procurement to replenish what was in its inventories or warehouses.

Almost all managers did not have an idea as to how long these PPEs would last and had no plan in place to avoid stock depletions” said Nehawu’s general secretary Zola Saphetha.

Saphetha said they also found there were challenges in relation to PPEs distribution to frontline workers, adding that in some institutions, cleaning staff and porters are left unprotected because of the misconception that PPEs are only for clinical staff. This is despite having to regularly clean and clear contaminated areas.

“In fact, in an institution like Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, our team found that workers had to resort to using refuse bags to protect themselves”, he said.

‘Saphetha: There is no compliance’

“In all healthcare institutions that were visited, there is generally non-compliance with the OHS Act. This is despite the fact that at the national and provincial departmental levels, as well as at institutional level, there are officials that have been appointed specifically to deal with health and safety imperatives”, Saphetha added.

According to the union, members had found that the relevant authorities at institutional level demonstrated complete ignorance of this legislation as well as the departmental guidelines that have been issued since the outbreak of the COVID-19.

‘Shortage of staff’

Nehawu has also expressed concern over the shortage of staff at various health institutions and said this is not only limited to frontline doctors and nurses, but also included all different non-clinical staff as well.

“…the question of the shortage of staff is so pervasive across public healthcare institutions that were visited and in other hospitals our teams found that nurses are being forced to do the work of cleaners and potters without necessary designated PPEs”